Is this the best way to retire?

This is part of a series of sponsored stories by Newstalk ZB’s Kerre Woodham, exploring life in Metlifecare villages through the eyes of residents – and those who’ve seen firsthand what life in the villages is really like. Today: Kerre reflects on a full day spent at a Metlifecare retirement village, from morning coffee and coastal walks to games night and quiet luxury.

I have had the great privilege of visiting a number of Metlifecare villages over the past few years, interviewing residents who’ve made new lives for themselves in retirement.

Every time I visit a village, I feel like I’m auditioning it for my own future home. Because when I retire, this is what I want my life to look like. More certainty around my budget. A resort-style community. Company when I want it; my own private sanctuary when I don’t.

And a life that can be as active or as relaxed as I choose it to be.

There’s a common misconception that retirement villages are for old people, and if you see age as a demographic, that’s true. You have to blow out 70 candles on your birthday cake before you can move into a Metlifecare village.

But if you see age as a state of mind, I’ve met very few ‘old’ people in retirement villages. The hundreds I’ve met are vibrant, interested, interesting people who are travelling, who are involved in their communities, who are physically and intellectually fit and many of them find themselves busier than they’ve ever been. The difference is now they’re busy doing what they want to do, not what they have to do.

There is no such thing as a typical day in a village, but this is what mine looked like when I had the luxury of a whole day at a Metlifecare village recently.

I started with a leisurely cup of tea on the deck from the village’s cafe and relaxed into the day, taking in the spectacular harbour views. Metlifecare villages have unique personalities – just like their residents – and you can choose to live at the beach, within woodland parks, in the heart of bustling urban communities – there’s a village to suit every lifestyle.

Right now, I want to be by the sea and so that’s where I was. I took advantage of the beautiful walkways that wind around the harbour and the wider community.

The particular open village I visited lets residents access walkways and enjoy the cafe. People who move here with their pets appreciate the open space too – the doggos never say no to a walk.

There were some decisions to make – like do I have a swim before or after lunch in the beautiful pool? And which exercise class shall I join? The village I visited offers line-dancing, Zumba and a circuit class. I resolved on a swim after my lunch and circuit class, and before getting myself ready for the games night taking place that evening.

It sounds like a lot – and it is. You could be doing three or four activities every single day if you wanted to. The number of activities per day varies depending on the village. There are trips to gardens, the theatre, the races – just a few of the different locations that may be offered. Many villages offer craft activities, have community gardens to maintain, plus many and varied exercise groups.

When you first arrive at a village, it’s a good idea to sign up for them all. That way, you get to meet people quickly. After a few weeks, you can scale it back and focus on the activities you enjoy most. I seriously doubt you could maintain the energy required to do it all anyway!

I thoroughly enjoyed the exercise class and resolved to come back for the Pilates class on Saturday – that one is held at the village but is open to the wider community. The pool at the village I visited is for the exclusive use of residents, but the families of residents are welcome to use it too, so there’s never a problem persuading the grandchildren to come and visit their grandparents!

Many villages have excellent libraries or a place of quiet calm where you can escape to read, add a few pieces to a jigsaw puzzle, or to do the crossword. I found the one I visited was just a lovely space to reset.

After my busy day and after cheating by getting titivated at the on-site salon some villages offer – who has time to blowdry their own hair? – it was off to the weekly games evening. Card games and snooker are staples of games night at the village I visited, but they have also added table tennis because Spencer is a gun player and is teaching residents. I suspect it’s so he has more people to beat! It’s a lot of fun and if you live on your own, it’s wonderful being able to have that connection with people, if you feel like company.

For the residents, it was back to the quiet luxury of their beautifully appointed homes after games evening. For me, it was back to reality. I said goodbye to my new mates and told them to wait for me, I’d be back in ten years. One of the men laughed and said they’d be there.

They had no intention of going anywhere. This, they said, is the happiest kingdom outside of Disneyland!

The particular facilities, activities and services discussed in this article are specific to Metlifecare Orion Point Village, Hobsonville, and may differ at other Metlifecare villages.