HONG KONG investors keen to get a first-hand glimpse of the laid-back New Zealand lifestyle should go to today's Mon Desire property exhibition at the Hilton Hotel. Mon Desire is located in Takapuna, an up-market suburb of Auckland. The first two blocks of this low-density mid-rise project will be featured during the exhibition. On sale will be five penthouses and 43 apartments in a variety of two and three-bedroom units, with prices ranging from NZ$357 (HK$1,750) to $532 a square foot. The apartments range in size from 1,210 to 3,664 square feet and are within a few minutes' drive of Auckland's central business district and some of New Zealand's best schools. According to Colliers Jardine, increasing numbers of Hong Kong and Asian investors are interested in purchasing property in New Zealand because of the lifestyle, climate and the privacy which the newer units provide. Colliers Jardine statistics show 25 per cent of the country's residential property is owned by non-residents, with as much as 60 per cent of all the new properties marketed offshore. New Zealand's revitalised economy has meant city dwellers are seeking a more relaxed, outdoor lifestyle with homes within easy reach of the workplace. As a result, many of the new developments, like Mon Desire, provide beach-front homes in some of the most attractive locations. These homes, which are built to modern standards with the highest quality fittings, are a far cry from the standard beach houses of the past.
