News

The main advantage of living in Warkworth Oaks is that you can leave the car in the village’s parking lot and completely forget about it! Our contemporary apartments are nestled right in the heart of charming Warkworth, with restaurants, cafés, health services, supermarkets, shops, and even a bowling green—all just a short stroll away. “At one point, I didn’t use my car for a month!” says Christine, one of the residents who values the ease of having all her daily needs within walking distance from home.

As part of its commitment to environmental conservation, Real Living is dedicated to recycling in its retirement villages, actively participating in various recycling initiatives, including food scrap collection and battery recycling. This commitment also extends to educational programs for both residents and staff, featuring engaging trips to learn more about sustainable practices. Recently, the residents of Warkworth Oaks had the opportunity to visit LESS, a community-focused recycling and resource recovery initiative operating in Warkworth and Wellsford.

Peter and Pam never thought about living in a retirement village—until three years ago when they visited Warkworth Oaks. The moment they stepped into the stylish entrance, which reminded them of "a hotel lobby or elegant apartments," they fell in love. Three years later, they couldn’t be happier with their choice.

Warkworth Oaks is a unique retirement community featuring quality designer apartments, all nestled in the heart of the historic Warkworth village. A key highlight of our location is our proximity to the iconic Warkworth Hotel, a cherished landmark dating back to 1862 that has been extensively renovated. Now transformed into a restaurant, the hotel serves as a vibrant hub for residents. The close-knit relationship between the village and the hotel adds a distinctive charm to the entire area.

If you’re around Warkworth this weekend, don’t miss out on "Captured: A Photographic Time Capsule of Warkworth". This fascinating exhibition offers a unique glimpse into the growth of this beautiful town, captured through the lens of a camera. It will be held in the Southgate Room at the Warkworth Hotel from October 17 to 19. Residents of Warkworth Oaks are especially fortunate to have this incredible event right on their doorstep.

Discover the stunning artworks on display at the Art in August exhibition at the Warkworth Hotel last weekend. The event featured an impressive lineup of talented artists from across New Zealand, including Arlin Sukarlin, Fiona Ehn, Claire Erica, and Simon Payton. This year, the exhibition proudly featured nearly twenty paintings by the creative residents of Warkworth Oaks, with two of them successfully selling their works to the public.

Warkworth Oaks’ contemporary apartments are situated right in the heart of beautiful Warkworth village, with restaurants and cafés, shops and health services only a short stroll away. One of the residents’ favourites is The Secret Café, a new venue that opened one year ago… and it’s located on the ground floor of our retirement village! What else can you wish for?

Some of our staff members make the world go round, or more exactly, Real Living. This is the case of Raewyn Morrison, Activities Coordinator at Warkworth Oaks. She loves working in such a “friendly, caring and supportive village” and she takes any opportunity to mingle with the residents, either playing Rummikub or leading the dancing at the boogie class.

Tom and Jill moved to Warkworth Oaks in 2020 because their apartments fulfilled all the requirements in their wish list. They love that it’s such an easy lock-and-leave option and “within walking distance of everything we need”. On top of that, the village allows them to lead the lifestyle they want, full of exercise and activities, including fitness at the gym, table tennis, indoor and outdoor bowling.

Mangawhai Museum was opened in December 2014 in a spectacular building shaped like a stingray. In a few years it has become one of Northland’s most popular museums, to the point that Lonely Planet describes it as one of regional NZ’s best museums. With such extraordinary publicity, Warkworth Oaks decided to organise a special visit to Mangawhai to check out the museum – specially since it’s only a 45 minutes’ drive from the village.

Christine moved to Warkworth Oaks in 2020 in what she describes “the best decision of her life”. Being a country girl, she never imagined she would enjoy living in an apartment, but she loves everything about the village. So much so, that she’s busier now than when she had a job… doing the things that make her happy!

So many of our residents have had an extraordinary life, and some of them seem to have fit several lives into one! That’s the case of one of the most sociable residents at Warkworth Oaks, Graham: he worked as a general manager for the Cook Islands branch at Air New Zealand, a real estate agent for Barfoot and Thompson, he owned a Bed and Breakfast and he ended his career driving tour buses around Auckland.

Spring is finally here so it’s time to renew our wardrobe! At Warkworth Oaks they’ve started with a Fashion Show to get some inspiration for the new season. Four stylish residents volunteered as models in the Parade, organised by clothing store Sophie Pink.

The Art Expo organized by Warkworth Oaks last weekend was a great success. The exhibition, held on the first floor at the charming Warkworth Hotel, attracted a steady stream of visitors over three days. Two of our residents sold their paintings, among many other local artists.

Shortbread is described by many as the most perfect biscuit ever. It used to be reserved for Christmas and special occasions, but our residents at Warkworth Oaks know that the good things in life should be enjoyed all year around. One of their residents, Mary, bakes a good big batch every few weeks… and she always sells out!

Check out the blooming wonderland of vegetables and herbs located behind our newest retirement village, Warkworth Oaks. Even if the village is located right in the middle of the town centre, the residents have managed to build this stunning community garden for all of them to enjoy.

Warkworth Oaks is situated right in the heart of beautiful Warworth village, with health services such as the Mahurangi Health Collective only a short stroll away. Lots of residents use their physiotherapy, massage and podiatry services to have the highest quality of life possible.

Boney M “By the rivers of Babylon” is one of the classic favourites that the residents of Warkworth Oaks enjoy dancing again and again. The village started a socially distanced 'boogie' class during the 2020’s lockdown and it was so successful that it became a permanent weekly meeting.

For many people, retirement is the perfect opportunity to cultivate a new passion. Elva Leaming enjoyed her career as a librarian, but now that she has more free time, she likes to dedicate it to her new hobby: drawing.

“There's no place like home” when you live in one of Real Living’s villages. Mahurangi College Students visited Warkworth Oaks recently to promote their production of The Wizard of Oz. How many generations of children have marched to the iconic song “We’re off to see the Wizard”?

Warkworth Oaks residents enjoyed morning tea and a talk from Tech Buddies on Tuesday 25th May. The presentation concentrated on managing emails, scam prevention, computer upgrades, internet security as well as issues with mobile phones and laptops. Tech Buddies had so many questions from residents they didn’t manage to cover all the subjects they hoped, and they will need to come back at a later date.