In sunny Orewa, an easy half-hour drive from central Auckland, lies a truly unique housing development. The first of its kind in New Zealand, Kensington Park is a master-planned community located just 450 metres from the golden sands of Orewa Beach.
Over 500 Cape Cod-styled houses and apartments dot the 40-acre property, the architecture of each transitionally blending with each other to create a beautiful, cohesive community.
Kensington Park’s newest release, The Gardens Apartments, is now complete and lucky homeowners are moving in. Featuring 48 luxury apartments split across two towers, The Gardens offers incomparable ease of living.
Designed by Shanahan Architects, every apartment features Miele appliances, waterfall quartz benchtops, quality oak veneer cabinetry, Grohe tapware fixtures and generous balconies, some with expansive sea views.
Start your property search
Developer John Sax says Kensington Park is less a development and more a way of life.
“Our vision is to build a community,” he says. “We’re developers, yes, but we’re not here to simply build buildings. Our role is to facilitate community and togetherness.”
Open spaces, attractive gardens and opportunities to meet people are integral parts of the design framework. Walkways and cycleways make it easy to get around, while open gardens, parks and a mix of native and communal fruit trees will create a comfortable, lived-in feeling.
Prices start from $1,003,750 for a one-bedroom apartment, $1,567,500 for two bedrooms and $1,732,500 for three bedrooms, all include 1-2 parking spaces. Photo / Supplied
An onsite café, heated indoor pool, fully equipped gym, putting green and pétanque court make it easy to meet people and stay active without having to go too far afield.
Kensington Park is unique because it doesn’t rely on pre-sales to fund its developments, which adds a significant degree of security to prospective buyers.
“Kensington Park hasn’t used development funding since 2016,” says Sax.
“We are in a very unique and privileged position where we can just build and continue creating Kensington Park’s over-arching vision, then sell the homes once they’re built. Despite that, we had our highest level of pre-sales with The Gardens. People have been steadily moving in over the last few weeks and we’re at just over half-capacity now.”
Bruce and Eileen MacDonald are one of The Gardens’ newest residents.
“We’ve only been at Kensington Park for a few weeks but already it feels like home,” says Bruce.
Developer John Sax says Kensington Park is less a development and more a way of life. Photo / Supplied
Residents of The Gardens have already started moving in over the last few weeks. Photo / Supplied
“We really wanted to live close to Orewa Beach, and we liked the idea of a ready-made community that we could slot right into. When we first visited, we immediately felt safe which was important to us, and we were also reassured that, despite buying off-the-plans, none of our money was ever at risk.”
Now that The Gardens is complete, Sax is looking ahead. Building consents have been approved for two more five-storey blocks, and approximately 40 duplexes will follow.
“We’ve built a long-term sense of vision and continuity at Kensington Park, which we hope people appreciate and are drawn to. It’s really exciting to see our vision come to fruition,” Sax says.
The Gardens is completed and move-in ready. Prices start from $1,003,750 for a one-bedroom apartment, $1,567,500 for two bedrooms, and $1,732,500 for three, all including 1-2 parking spaces. For more information, visit kensingtonpark.co.nz.
- Sponsored by Kensington Park
