Most retirement villages attract new residents from within a 15km radius but The Botanic Silverdale is proving so popular, enquiries are coming from retirees living beyond Auckland’s borders.
The $500m state-of-the-art retirement village has been under development on the Hibiscus Coast for almost three years and is home to many world class facilities. More than 120 residents have moved in to villas or apartments, and more retirees will shortly move in to the newly completed Nikau apartments.
“Some of our residents have secured an apartment or villa because they are easy-care and they want to head overseas or take off in their campervans. The ‘lock up and leave’ lifestyle is really appealing to so many of our residents,” says Michelle Pipping, one of the sales consultants at The Botanic.
The Clubhouse is the social heart of the resort-style village and includes a café, lounge, bar, dining space, and barbeque area. It was officially opened in October, and Silverdale locals have been regularly popping in for coffee or lunch.
The opening of The Clubhouse also coincided with the completion of many world class facilities including the Wellness Centre with an indoor 20m swimming pool, sauna, steam room, therapy pool, gym and fitness studio. All facilities are now fully open and available to The Botanic’s residents.
Pipping says The Botanic continues to attract Hibiscus Coast Residents, but they are also fielding enquiries from as far away as the Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Blenheim, the Bay of Islands, and Australia.
“What’s different about The Botanic is that we don’t tell retirees how to live, but we provide them with a beautiful environment that encourages them to live well. It’s also a coup that we are close to Auckland and have brilliant transports links and connections, but it’s only a hop, skip and a jump away from Orewa’s restaurants and beach as well.”
The Botanic will also accommodate an independent pre-school centre which will eventually cater for 100 children. It is designed to create ‘intergenerational engagement’ between elders and pre-schoolers.
Once completed, the eight-hectare site will have 84 villas and 354 apartments for independent living residents. An aged care home, and specialist memory care facilities will also follow.
Construction has begun on the second apartment building at The Botanic Silverdale with 32 one, two, and three-bedroom apartments expected to be completed in the later part of 2025.
MAKO Construction’s large hammerhead tower crane has become a familiar sight to Silverdale commuters, and is now hovering over the foundations of the new, four-story, Rimu apartment building, which mirrors the recently completed Nikau apartments.
The crane has a maximum lifting capacity of 12 tonnes, and will fulfil 95% of the lifting capability for the new apartment building.
“The peak construction months will be August through to November, and at that point we’re anticipating up to 100 contractors will be on the job every day. It’s fantastic for the development of our village, but also a boon for the local Silverdale economy too,” says Alan Edwards, a Director at The Botanic Silverdale.
“I sometimes have to remind people that you have to be 65 to move into The Botanic. I’ve had the occasional person in their fifties ask if they can move in!”
On the northern side of the site, more than 100 tonnes of concrete has been poured into the piles and foundations of a large retaining wall which stabilises the site, and ensures construction doesn’t impact a natural creek below the development.
“If you walk through our village you’ll notice our homes, the pathways and our beautiful landscaping, but behind it all is a remarkable feat of modern engineering,” says Edwards.
The Botanic Silverdale is home to more than 150 residents, and the village is expected to grow beyond 200 retirees in the second half of 2025, following the completion of the Nikau apartments.
“Interest has been strong. We’ve sold more than a third of the apartments off-the-plans already,” says Michelle Pipping, a Millwater resident, and a member of The Botanic’s sales team.
The recently opened Clubhouse Café is proving popular with Silverdale residents. Pipping says it’s bringing more footfall to the village, and locals are developing a greater understanding of resort-style retirement living.
“I sometimes have to remind people that you have to be 65 to move into The Botanic. I’ve had the occasional person in their fifties ask if they can move in!”
Once completed, the eight-hectare site will have 84 villas and 354 apartments for independent living residents. An aged care home, and specialist memory care facilities will eventually complete the full suite of retirement care options.
Every month we film our progress at The Botanic Silverdale.
Our June update shows the development and landscaping of our Community Gardens, and the 24 raised beds which are shaped into a gentle arch to mimic a silver fern frond.
Our gardens are a resident-led project, and are already producing fresh vegetables for our retirees every week.
Find our Show Home
GO9, Nikau Apartments, 2 Evergreen Drive, Silverdale
The Clubhouse Café is one of Silverdale’s best café restaurants.
Bookings aren’t essential but if you’d like to dine on Friday and Saturday evenings, we do recommend you making a booking. Just call 027 389 3511 or email theclubhousecafe@thebotanic.co.nz and we’ll pop your name in the book.
Our menu is skilfully prepared by our talented team of chefs, and we have an extensive range of cabinet food which is freshly made and updated throughout the day with sweet and savoury treats. There is always great coffee, a fresh Curry Of The Day, and you can enjoy a glass of wine or a craft beer from our well-appointed bar.
The Clubhouse Café hours are:
8am-5pm: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday
8am-3pm: Thursday (to accommodate a weekly resident event)
8am-8pm: Friday and Saturday.
Our resident-led Community Garden is open.
It was the British poet, Alfred Austin who so eloquently described the spiritual benefits of tending a garden.
“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul,” he said.
It is a quote that rings true at The Botanic Silverdale where an experienced landscaping team have worked tirelessly to design, plant, and nurture the village’s native and exotic gardens. Pathways meander through the village, and mature natives line the banks of a stream that borders The Clubhouse.
Villa residents can, if they wish, tend their own gardens, but a sizeable community garden is also under construction at The Botanic including two 26m2 ‘Winter Gardenz’ glasshouses which are connected by a pergola.
“There are 24 planter boxes in total and when viewed from above, they resemble a fern,” says Michelle Pipping, a Millwater resident and a sales consultant at The Botanic.
Once completed, there will be bench seats, tables and chairs, and a BBQ area to support residents to spend time together in the garden area, or host visiting friends and family.
The planter boxes and glasshouses will be surrounded by an edible garden of fruit trees including feijoa, citrus, persimmon, fig, apple, avocado, stone fruits, grapes, and berries.
Resident Alan Ferguson is the Chairman of the Community Garden and says the area will foster a sense of companionship and connection, and will allow residents to share their experience and knowledge of growing fresh produce.
“I definitely like to get my hands in the soil. I had a large garden before I moved to The Botanic and it provided us with fresh produce for most of the year. I’m really looking forward to watching the community garden take shape,” he says.
“I don’t think you can underestimate how beneficial it is to our wellbeing when we spend time outside and surrounded by nature.”
Michelle says The Botanic’s landscaped gardens and commitment to creating a village ‘surrounded by nature’ are key reasons why many retirees have chosen to move to The Botanic.
“I don’t think you can underestimate how beneficial it is to our wellbeing when we spend time outside and surrounded by nature. I know there are many residents who can’t wait to get stuck in and get planting.”
The gardening group is anticipating the first fresh produce will be harvested in Spring.
Our latest drone footage from The Botanic Silverdale takes us on a journey of our village, and sweeps across to the beautiful Nikau apartments which are under construction now. This is the perfect location to look across our magnificent gardens, and keep an eye on the busy Silverdale community.