Janet has thrown herself into village life – perhaps a little too enthusiastically at times.
“I think, just hold on Janet, you don’t need to do everything today,” she laughs.
But the decision to leave the Napier home she shared with her late husband Barry took time. “My husband passed away four years ago, and we were living in Napier by the sea. It was a lovely position, and I didn’t want to leave.”
Her family gently encouraged her to consider retirement village living, and after a couple of years Janet began to agree it might be the sensible next step. With her daughter living in Auckland, moving north made sense.
Janet took her time looking at retirement villages around the city but kept coming back to Edmund Hillary. “I was always drawn to Ed Hillary because it was close to my daughter and it’s in a beautiful area with lovely big grounds,” she says. “I got to know it well, and I liked it more each time I visited.”
Janet proudly shows off two of her artworks on display alongside others from the village painting group.
Top pic: The beautiful grounds were a huge drawcard for Janet, who looks out across the bowling green from her apartment balcony.
Janet has made her apartment’s spare bedroom an art studio, where she can continue a passion that she took up in 2014. She paints whatever takes her fancy. Most recently, pansies with the village painting group.
But inspiration is also right outside her window. “I painted the Ed Hillary building with One Tree Hill behind and all my view, which is absolutely beautiful.”
Her balcony overlooks the bowling green and croquet court, and with a table, chairs and plants, it’s a favourite spot to sit with her daughter and visiting friends.
A keen gardener for many years, Janet only gave up the heavier work after a couple of falls and still takes a keen interest in what’s growing around her. “I praise the gardeners as I go past because they’re always doing something to improve the area,” she says.
Keeping active has long come naturally. Janet studied physical education at Otago University, raised two children, and later spent 30 years in real estate, working until she was 80.
So perhaps it’s no surprise she’s approached village life with the same attitude. “I think it’s good to take up as many activities as you can. Then you can decide later - if you’ve been there, done that, you can hold back and do something else.”
So far that has meant exercise classes, aqua aerobics, painting and plenty of her favourite activity, out-and-about trips.
For Janet, the excursions aren’t simply about the destination. Having recently moved to Auckland, she’s been using them to get her bearings.
“I like the journey as much as the end result because I’m seeing more of Auckland. I’m trying to get to know it and where everything is.”
A recent trip north caught her attention as much for the small farms and townships along the way as the garden centre they were heading to. Other outings have introduced her to ceramics and theatre.
Janet has turned her spare room into an art studio. With so many new sights and activities all around her, she is never short of inspiration for her latest piece.
There are also new people to meet and keep track of. “I’ve made a lot of friends. People are so nice and helpful here, it’s unbelievable,” she says.
Remembering everybody’s name, however, is proving more challenging. Janet has developed her own system, adding asterisks beside the people she meets on the village phone list. “Unfortunately, they’ve remembered my name quite well – better than I’ve remembered theirs!”
Some of those names now belong to close friends, and there’s rarely a shortage of familiar faces around the village. Janet enjoys meeting friends at the café and inviting people to visit, while still having the quiet of her apartment whenever she wants it.
“You can’t believe there are so many people in the area. It’s as quiet as can be,” she says. “When you want quiet, you’ve got it.”
The move has also brought her closer to much of her family. Her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson live in Auckland, her granddaughter drops by when she’s home from overseas, and her son visits regularly from Texas.
And after six months, the apartment she carefully chose has become much more than simply a new place to live.
“I love it here,” Janet says. “When I come into my apartment, I think, it’s great to be home.”