Meet The Residents – Chris and Stuart Hight

Where did you move from?
Kumeu, overlooking Kumeu River Winery.

What do you love most about the Botanic?
We love our apartment, we love all the incredible friends we’ve made, and we love the village community.

What are you enjoying about retired life?
Being spontaneous, spending more time with family, and travelling when we want to.

What have you learnt about retirement that you wished you’d known before?
That your retirement years will be some of your best years. 

How do you live a life filled with purpose?
Our careers were about serving others and caring for people, and we’ve always loved being involved and being available for others. So now we’re looking at ways of doing that differently.

What is the best thing about living on the Hibiscus coast?
Someone said to us that you don’t need to leave the Coast because everything you need is here, and that’s so true. It’s great having the beaches so close.

How would you describe the community at the Botanic?
Caring, a lot of fun, and very inclusive.

What is your advice to retirees thinking about moving to a retirement village?
Don’t leave it too late. Go while you are still young enough to enjoy all there is on offer.

How has the lock up and leave lifestyle changed your life?
We don’t have to worry about getting someone to look after our property when we go away. We can go away in our motorhome or overseas to escape the winter whenever we like.

What is your favourite dish at the clubhouse?
For Chris, it’s Gary’s special salmon and feta omelette, and Stuart loves the lamb shanks.

What is a great quote to live by?
“Never put a full stop where a comma ought to be.” The story doesn’t always have to end.

Recent Posts

Meet The Residents – Julie

What do you love most about The Botanic? There are many things about the Botanic I love, but number one would be the open, modern architecture and impeccably kept gardens. It has an American Country Club feel to it without the hefty fees. Where did you move to The Botanic from? Kensington Park, Orewa. What are you enjoying about retired life? I love the freedom that comes with retirement. How I spend each day is entirely up to me. I especially enjoy lingering over a long lunch with friends. What have you learnt about retirement that you wished you’d known before? It’s not about sitting around waiting to grow old. Life carries on in much the same way as before with lots of added bonuses and minus the restrictions that come with getting up early and going to work each day. How do you live a life filled with purpose? That’s easy. I’m constantly planning my time and seem to always have a full diary. What do you love most about living on the Hibiscus Coast? The Hibiscus Coast is where I holidayed as a child. Now that I live here permanently I feel like I’m always on holiday. How would you describe the community at The Botanic? They’re a lively bunch of super friendly, fun-loving, ‘young’ people who thoroughly enjoy their lives. How has the ‘Lock up and Leave’ lifestyle changed your life? Going away overnight or longer couldn’t be easier. I can pack my bags and walk out the door knowing my home is safe and secure. What’s your favourite dish or food at The Clubhouse Café?For me it’s definitely the soup! When the cafe staff see me coming they almost always guess my order. What is your favourite Botanic amenity?I love the pool. It’s great for swimming lengths. Then to relax in the spa pool afterwards is the sweet reward. What’s your advice to retirees thinking about moving to a retirement village?Just do it! Your life will magically become a whole lot easier. What is some great advice to live by? Engage with people and stay interested. 
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Join us for our Special Open Weekend

Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th October, 10am-4pm The Botanic Silverdale, 17 Small Road, Silverdale, Auckland. Are you curious about living a luxury retirement on the Hibiscus Coast? Would you like to take a stroll through our resort-style village and meet some of our residents? Then pop along to our Special Open Weekend and say hello! Here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect at our Special October Open Weekend. 1. Michelle and Jan will be in our Show Home to talk you through our brand new villa and apartment living options. 2. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to find out more about our ‘just launched’ two and three bedroom villas. 3. Our residents will be on hand to give you an insight into village life and The Botanic Silverdale community. 4. Take a tour around our beautifully landscaped gardens. You can walk, or hitch a ride on one of our golf carts. Make sure you stop by our blooming Community Gardens in the heart of the village! 5. And don’t forget to pop into The Clubhouse Café, the beating heart of the village. If you visit the Show Home, Michelle and Jan will make sure you will enjoy a coffee and a bite to eat on us too! Would you like more information? Give Michelle or Jan a call on 0508 268 264.
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Meet The Residents – Laurie and Lanie McGrath

Where did you move from? We moved to The Botanic from Stanmore Bay where we lived in a single level, three-bedroom home with a big garden. It was a lot of work, and we were starting to have a few health issues, as you do. In the end, Laurie realised he liked playing golf more than he liked gardening so here we are! What do you love most about The Botanic? There is just so much to do. It’s a wonderful community and we’ve made so many new friends. If you’re not well, everyone is so caring and it’s a secure and safe place to live. What are you enjoying about retired life? There is always something happening, and it’s just a lot of fun. Lanie has gone back to playing bowls, and Laurie’s playing bowls as well as golf now. We just love being retired. What have you learnt about retirement that you wished you’d known before?If we had our time again, we would have moved sooner. We’re now 82 and 80, and in hindsight we should have moved about five years ago. The older you are, the more stressful it can be to move, but now that we’re here it’s wonderful. How do you live a life filled with purpose?That’s easy! There’s plenty to do here. It’s a bit like being on a cruise. You can choose to participate or not. Life has got much busier and we have to make the time to see our outside friends. There’s just so much going on. What’s the best thing about living on the Hibiscus Coast?For us, it’s definitely the proximity to water. The beautiful beaches are all around us with lovely views, and Orewa is just down the road. The sea is never far away. How would you describe the community at The Botanic?It’s a lovely bunch and the village is full of like-minded people. So many of us have similar interests, and we all get along so well. The girls go out for lunch a lot, and the boys do the same! The Botanic is a pet-friendly village. Did that help you make the decision to move here?That was everything to us. There was no way we would have moved without Maya too, and we needed to make sure the village worked for her too. She’s loved by everyone. If we go away, there are plenty of people at the village who will look after her for us. How has the ‘Lock up and Leave’ lifestyle changed your life?If we go away, it’s such a relief to come home and the garden looks immaculate. You don’t come home to a foot-long lawn! What’s your favourite dish or food at The Clubhouse Café?For Laurie, it’s the lamb shanks and Lanie’s a fan of the roast chicken stuffed with mushrooms and bacon. What is your favourite Botanic amenity?The Clubhouse Café and the bowling green but when our great-grandchildren come to visit it’s straight to the pool. They just love it in there. What is great advice to live by?Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. Don’t step back in retirement, always step forward. Enjoy your life and make sure you stay active.
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