Originally from Australia, Peter made the decision to move to retirement village life in New Zealand after spending time visiting his daughter, who runs a lodge in Tongariro National Park. Getting to know the local area well after years spent travelling back and forth for visits, Peter taught himself how to fly fish and founded new friendships in the community.
“I looked into options such as buying a section, or a house, even a tiny house. Then I visited Liston Heights Retirement Village with my daughter and discovered I really liked the idea of a serviced apartment,” says Peter.
“It made perfect sense for me economically, I’m still very independent, have my own car, and the idea of being able to just lock up and leave knowing my home was secure really suited me.”
Peter says the village team at Liston Heights were extremely helpful as he transitioned to retirement village life. However, adapting to someone else doing the hard work for him took a little time!
“The housekeeping team here clean my apartment, wash my sheets, change my bed – all these things which I can quite easily do, and when they first came in, I said, ‘Oh, I can do that’, and they said, ‘Well, this is my job, I need this job’, and I said, ‘Well, that's a perfectly good reason!’”.
Mealtimes are also made easy thanks to serviced apartment life. ‘I can cook, but I prefer not to!” laughs Peter. “The team who come to clean, or deliver meals, are so friendly, we always have a good chat.”
“My daughter had always said to me 'Dad, you're better off moving [to Liston Heights] because you're going to be with people of your own age – and she was 100 percent correct,” he says. “In the short time I've been here, I've formed a pretty close relationship with a lot of people, it’s a whole community.”
A keen golfer, Peter recently joined Kinloch Golf Club, just 20 minutes’ drive from the village. He also regularly catches up for coffee with friends who live around the corner, as well as spending time with his family, including two grandchildren.
“I love the security of being able to just lock up and leave my apartment,” says Peter. “My son still lives in Australia, and I’ve been back [to visit him] several times since moving to Bupa, and he also recently came and stayed with me here.”
An active member of the village social committee, Peter keeps busy organising various events, including an upcoming Pink Ribbon Fundraiser, monthly movie screenings, regular morning and afternoon teas and Happy Hour.
With his fishing flies, rods and waders ready to go, life for Peter continues to go swimmingly!
