"I wish I could press rewind on that one - it was a huge disappointment," said Aitken.
"I'd certainly felt beforehand that it probably was the right time but I knew I didn't want to make any decisions until afterwards.
"[The loss] probably made it harder for me to make the decision that 'Yes I still needed to step aside' because when I coach players it's about 'Yes you've had a disappointment but you need to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and make sure you really work smarter and harder so you can be successful next time' - you don't give up."
The fairytale ending wasn't to be but Aitken eventually came to the same decision: it was time someone else got the opportunity to put their stamp on the team.
"I just feel that it's the right time for another tack for the Ferns to just keep growing and developing."
Netball New Zealand chief executive Raelene Castle said Aitken was "absolutely" leaving on her own terms.
She said with one world title and back-to-back Commonwealth Games golds to her credit, Aitken had led through the most successful decade in the history of the sport and would be greatly missed.
"She has the self-awareness to recognise she needs to give the organisation and the team the time to build a relationship with the new coach as they work towards 2015. And for that I have the utmost respect for her; I'm incredibly sad to see her go," said Castle.
Netball NZ will advertise the coaching position and begin the recruitment process within the next few weeks.
But Aitken won't go too far.
She will stay on as head coach until the end of the year to guide the Silver Ferns through the two-test series against England and the Constellation Cup tests against Australia to allow Netball NZ plenty of time to find a replacement.
The 55-year-old will then take up a role as Netball NZ's coaching director.
Aitken is excited about her new position, which will involve working with coaches from grassroots to elite level, as well as providing support to the Silver Ferns management team.
She will also keep some contact with players, providing one-on-one coaching and support to the next tier of top players in the accelerant programme. Seeing players like Casey Williams, Laura Langman and Maria Tutaia come into the programme as "wide-eyed teenagers" and develop into world class athletes is something Aitken ranks as her proudest achievement in the job.
"That probably is the teacher side of me, seeing the personal development of players has been hugely satisfying and something I'm very proud of. And then obviously the wins - the good wins. They were nice as well," she chuckled.
When asked what she would miss about the job, Aitken's eyes lit up.
"Standing on the transverse line singing the national anthem, and then from there that walk to the bench where you sit down and take a deep breath and think 'here we go'," she said.
"You choose to be in an environment where you live on the edge. When you fail it's very public and when you do well it's amazing. There is no nice safe in-between but it is such a buzz that you don't give it away lightly."
Ruth Aitken
* Silver Ferns coach from 2001 to 2011.
* Tests: 110.
* Wins: 85 (77 per cent).
* Losses: 25.
* Major titles: 2003 world championships (Jamaica), 2006 Commonwealth Games gold (Melbourne), 2010 Commonwealth Games gold (Delhi).
