A "top secret" 24-storey luxury apartment tower planned for Auckland's North Harbour has been snapped up by exclusive buyers months before the public gets a look in.

The 72.5 metre apartment planned for Kaipiho Lane, Albany will feature more than 280 apartments, 11 lifts, a helicopter landing pad, residents' cinema, swimming pool, clubhouse, ballroom, 24 hour concierge and robotic valet parking.

A website marketing the development in Chinese, www.kaipiho.co.nz, said the apartments "caused a subscription frenzy" when they were promoted on Chinese social media app WeChat.

Within two weeks, more than 40 apartments had sold, the website said.

READ MORE: Chinese pour $1.5 billion into NZ housing market last year

The website, which was removed after Stuff made inquiries, said the apartment was half subscribed within two weeks, with certain apartment layouts selling out.

Harcourts agent Maggie Gao, whose name and number featured on the website, said the promotion was intended for "friends and family".

The apartments would be advertised in English in February, when a show home would also be ready, she said.

"We're still preparing the marketing material," Gao said.

"We're not ready for the story to go out yet."

The development was also being advertised on Chinese property website Hougarden, with Gao's details listed. The listing says the apartments have been withdrawn or sold.

It is also listed on homes.co.nz featuring agent Ray White Pan Wang.

Wang said it was only being sold "internally" for now - meaning friends, family, old clients and other contacts.

Gao said the official name of the development was not finalised but it was likely to be "No 1 Kaipiho".

She said a model of the building had been exhibited at an Albany mall.

SUPPLIED Design plans featured in the approved resource consent plan for 1 Kaipiho Lane in Albany, Auckland.

A link to the website was distributed on WeChat, as a favour to contacts who would be interested in the apartments, she said.

"Harcourts agents, be them Chinese or not, all have access to the information of the building, so they can also advertise it to their contacts."

She said most buyers were Asian including Chinese and Koreans living in New Zealand. She said the ad was targeted at Chinese living in New Zealand whose English was limited.

The website said: "With a world-class design concept, the developer hopes to bring the world's avant-garde apartment life to New Zealand and champion a brand new lifestyle."

Documents relating to the project, released by Auckland Council, show the apartment was granted resource consent in December and was not publicly notified.

SUPPLIED 1 Kaipiho Lane in Albany drew inspiration from this Miami tower, which featured in the consenting plans.

Its design is modelled off a Miami condo, planning documents show.

The applicant who filed for resource consent was a Junge Xu, who also owns the property.

The site was purchased in 2014 for $3.4 million and has a 2017 rateable value of $4.1m.

Gao said a man by the name of Gary could provide further details.

SUPPLIED The tower was given consent without public consultation.

Gary, who would not give his surname, said there had been some improvements to the original resource consent plans but the building would not look any different.

"It's all top secret," he said.

New Zealand Companies Office details show Junge Xu and a Gary Gray are joint directors and owners of New Zealand Tungsten Mining - which in 2016 held exploration and prospecting permits for tungsten, gold and other minerals within the Queenstown Lakes District.

The apartments range in price from $550,000 for a one bedroom to $1.3m for a three bedroom, the website said.

An annual property management fee of a small apartment would cost $2100, it said.

Penthouses would feature on the 21st to 24th floor.

The tower, located next to a park and ride bus terminal and Westfield shopping centre, has views of the sea, Rangitoto Island, downtown Auckland and Waitakere Ranges.

Chinese and western restaurants, a medical centre, pharmacy and cafe will feature on the ground floor, marketing material said.

An automatic, machine operated parking system is included in the design, the website said. It would deliver cars to their own parking spaces, without producing noise or exhaust fumes.

The website even leverages Korean-born New Zealand pro golfer Lydia Ko by mentioning she attended Pinehurst School, located just five minutes drive away.

AMY BAKER/STUFF John Watson says the marketing approach for the development will be "cause for concern" in the community.

Albany Ward Councillor John Watson said while densification in the area had been increasing, a 24 storey apartment would "stick out like a sore thumb".

"That would be a quantum leap of at least three times the height of anything that exists at the moment," Watson said.

But Albany was well suited to such development, he said.

"If there was an area you were going to look to increase densification this would be it."

JOHN BISSET/STUFF Real Estate Institute of New Zealand chief executive Bindi Norwell says it's an unusual commercial decision for a vendor to limit their market.

Real Estate Institute of New Zealand chief executive Bindi Norwell said it was an unusual commercial decision from the vendor's perspective as it limited their market.

"Agents would usually present vendors with a wide range of choices when it comes to promoting a property for sale, but at the end of the day it is the vendor's choice as to where the property is advertised, and the agent must follow the vendor's instructions in this manner," Norwell said.

A construction start date was yet to be determined, Gao said.

Harcourts Cooper & Co general manager Rob Carter said there had been about 30 sales via Harcourts to date.

"This development is in presale stage and has been promoted via our own channels."