Apartments

The vision

Selwyn Robinson’s vision for The Pines Apartments combined mid century modernism with one of Auckland’s oldest formal gardens. It was seen as bold - even shocking - to 1970s residential New Zealand, who were more used to quarter acre sections with traditional wooden villas.

Yet as Auckland has grown more dense, struggling with urban sprawl and disappearing green spaces, The Pines Apartments have become an icon of how to live in a crowded city, while preserving a heritage landscape.

The Pines Apartments , a modernist building with multiple windows set against a bright blue sky with some clouds and sunlight.
The Pines swimming pool in a landscaped yard with lounge chairs, umbrellas, lush green bushes, and tall cypress trees under a blue sky with a few clouds.
Close-up of a modernist white brick apartment building with multiple rectangular windows, some with blinds, against a clear blue sky. The building's corner protrudes outward, creating shadows.
Modernist white residential building with large windows, surrounded by green trees under a clear blue sky.
The elegant lobby with white walls, beige tiled floor, large windows, and contemporary furniture including sofas, armchairs, and a wooden table with a lamp and floral arrangement.
The Pines apartment building viewed from the air, surrounded by lush green trees and manicured gardens, with a parking lot visible in the lower right corner, under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
Black and white modernist photo of a high-rise apartment building with multiple balconies.
The Pines Apartments viewed from a drone, with Rangitoto and Auckland city in the background.
Room with large floor-to-ceiling windows showing green trees and a distant tower under a clear blue sky, with two blue sofas visible in the foreground.
Modernist white multi-story apartment building with balconies and large windows, against a clear blue sky with trees in the background.
Close-up of a modern multi-story building with large windows against a clear blue sky.
View from the balcony of the Pines apartment showing a cityscape at sunset with colorful sky and a mix of trees, houses, and buildings in the distance.
Black and white photo of the Capitol Records building in Hollywood, California, with a sign on a building in the foreground that reads "Hollywood and Vine."

The modern history of The Pines Apartments began with a meeting in the late 1960s at the Top of the Town bar in Auckland City. Robinson, who had owned the Pines homestead for thirty years, had been searching for a way to preserve his beloved botanic gardens.

The architects he met that night, from the Los Angeles–based firm Welton Beckett & Associates, had just completed Auckland’s most fashionable hotel, the Intercontinental (now the Pullman).

Welton Beckett & Associates were world-renowned for their future focused, mid century modernism, having designed the Capitol Records Building, the LAX  terminal, and the Beverly Hills Hilton.

Black-and-white photo of the Beverly Hilton hotel with palm trees in the foreground.

Capitol Records

Two men in suits pointing at a large architectural model of a skyscraper.

Welton and MacDonald Beckett

Constructed in just two years by Fletcher Construction, and personally overseen by Sir James Fletcher, The Pines Apartments sit on a giant basalt rock face on the side of Maungawhau Mt Eden, with views of both harbours. The first residents moved in during late 1971. Robinson himself moved into Apartment 9A.

Continually updated to meet the needs of the modern day—most recently with a major window upgrade in 2024 —The Pines remains an iconic landmark of Auckland City and a living testament to Selwyn Robinson’s vision.

A group of men wearing suits and construction helmets at a building site, with one man in a suit kneeling and painting a section of the ground, indicating a groundbreaking ceremony.
Black and white photo of a multi-story building under construction, surrounded by scaffolding. A crane labeled 'Fletchers' is visible on the right side.
Black and white photo of a construction site on a hillside, with wooden framing, scaffolding, and workers, with trees and a distant landscape in the background.

“The acme of gracious living”

Pages from the original Pines sales brochure (1970)