Five years ago, Pat’s response to the idea of retirement village living was emphatic: “No way. No way.”

But over the past few years, maintaining her home started to feel like more trouble than it was worth. After many years working in pharmacy management, it was time to retire and give herself a break.

“I was widowed at 32 and had two children to bring up, so it was just work, work, work,” she says.

Although busy, Pat enjoyed her work and the interaction with other people. “Everybody always had a different story or something going on in their life. It kept me out of mischief.”

When Pat began seriously looking at retirement villages, staying close to her daughter and family in Glendowie was important.

She visited several villages without finding what she wanted. Then her daughter spotted an open day at Edmund Hillary. “From the time I came through the gate, it was just the vibe. It just felt like what I wanted.”

And village life has eased her family’s minds as well. “It’s taken a worry off my daughter’s shoulders. If I have a fall or anything like that, the help is here.”

Pat has fallen in love with her apartment and relished the chance to furnish it with some stylish items purchased on one of her Melbourne trips.

Choosing the village was the easy part. Finding the right apartment took a little longer. Pat initially had a one-bedroom in mind, but several months later a two-bedroom apartment was suggested.

She went to take a look. “I walked through the door, and that was it. It was exactly what I wanted.”

The third-floor apartment boasts views across Auckland, with the croquet and bowling greens below.

But it’s the afternoon sun that Pat particularly enjoys. “I try to make sure I’m back in the village by 3.30 each day,” she says. “You close that door, and it’s your own little paradise. No dogs barking or outside noise.”

There’s no garden or home maintenance demanding her attention, and the move has brought a new sense of security too.

In her old house, the creaks left Pat wondering what was going on. Now she says she feels safe, and if something needs fixing, she can simply let the village team know.

“They never leave you waiting; it’s sorted within 24 hours.”

Pat didn’t want to be calling her daughter and son-in-law every time something broke at her old house. “They have their own lives,” she says.

Her apartment is also an easy home to leave behind. With a son and grandchildren in Melbourne, Pat has made the trip five times this year. “I just let reception know I’m going to be away, lock the door, and off I go. It’s wonderful.”

Pat's no-clutter style allows the spacious apartment to show off its strengths - finished off with fresh flowers on the waterfall benchtop.

At home, Pat spends plenty of time with friends outside the village, while exercise classes, tai chi and a walking group have added options closer to home. “I don’t want to make the village my whole existence at the moment,” she says. Instead, she likes knowing it’s there when she wants it.

And Pat is just as likely to be heading out of the village as further into it. Retirement has given her more time and energy for friends, family and travel, alongside the things she enjoys at Edmund Hillary Village.

It’s a far cry from what Pat once imagined retirement village living to be. Looking down from her apartment, she sees residents out walking or heading onto the croquet and bowling greens as soon as the sun appears. “I have to take my hat off to them,” she says. “It’s very positive. It’s not a negative place.”

And the woman who said 'no way' five years ago? “No regrets whatsoever,” Pat says. “I feel safe. I have peace of mind. I love it!”