Keith and his wife Marion were in their early 70s and still living in the family home when a brush with ill health prompted their decision to start looking for a retirement village.
The couple moved into the Bupa Wattle Downs Retirement Village six years ago.
"The kids were all grown up and it was only my wife and I at home," explains Keith. "I came down with leukaemia and Marion didn't want to end up in the house by herself if I didn't survive."
Years later, Keith is still going strong and the couple enjoy an independent life inside and outside the village. Keith chooses to work part-time driving coach tours because he likes keeping busy and discovering new parts of Auckland. He's also a member of a local country music club.
Back home at the village, he plays darts with a group of neighbours three nights a week and tends a communal vegetable garden for the village community.
"It's the best move we ever made," the former engineer enthuses. "We live independently to a large extent, but we've got a fantastic manager who goes way beyond the call of duty with all the little things she does for us."
He thoroughly recommends the Bupa experience to retired folk thinking about the next stage of life, and has just one piece of advice – don't leave it too late.