“I'm looking forward to moving in,” she enthuses. “The building is beautiful and the outlook is just spectacular. Plus, it’s a three-bedroom apartment, so we’re going to enjoy that extra space.”

She’s also excited that she’ll be able to walk to beach from her new pad. “It’s so close to Pt Chev,” she smiles. “And there’s a brand-new supermarket right there, which I’ll definitely be checking out.”

Kim says she had no qualms about purchasing her new home off the plans as she’s been in living in a two-bedroom apartment in Kōkihi, an Ockham-Marutūāhu development in Waterview, since it opened in 2021.

“I’ve enjoyed living in Kōkihi. I really like the community here. Almost everyone along our corridor moved in when at the same time as me. And many of them are still here. So that's actually really cool. I love that I know my neighbours,” she adds.

That sense of community means that she always gets a good turn-out for the clothing swaps she holds in the residents’ lounge. “I just put a post on Facebook asking for people to bring things from their closets that they don't wear. I've got these racks and I set up a table with clothes. Then people come along and pick what they want. I take anything leftover to charity.”  

Kim is married now, but she was single when she bought her Kōkihi apartment. “The security of the building really appealed to me at the time,” Kim explains. “You feel safe. There are many layers of security to make you feel quite protected from intruders, which I was definitely concerned about as a woman living by myself.”

She was also impressed by the design of Ockham-Marutūāhu’s previous developments. “I had gone to visit one of my sister’s friends in Tuatahi, which is right by the Pak’n Save in Mount Albert,” she recalls.

 “I went in and I thought, ‘Wow, these apartments are really nice’. To my mind, Ockham’s design style is defined by high-stud ceilings, deep windows and high-spec kitchens. I think it gives the buildings a sense of long-lasting modernity. Ockham definitely distinguishes itself from other developers in that way.”

Having purchased her Kokihi apartment two weeks before COVID hit in 2020, Kim has also had first-hand experience with how Ockham communicates with buyers.

“I bought it, put down every penny that I had. And then was like, oh my God, I might have actually just lost all my money,” Kim remembers.

“No one knew what was going to happen at that time. Luckily, Ockham were very transparent and kept us updated regularly, which was very important because I was definitely panicking. In the end, this building was actually finished early! We moved in and it was so great. And I didn't lose all my money!”

Both Kim and her husband Matt are invested in the idea of shared spaces and apartments as a way of living, which is another reason why they’re moving to Toi. 

“I’m really excited that it’s the beginning of a new community. It's a whole new suburb development. I can see there's going to be shops and probably a school and all of that stuff going up, so that’s going to be amazing.”