News

During the long Covid break, so many of our residents were not able to visit their family living overseas. We’re very happy to see how this is changing and lots of our residents are travelling abroad to reconnect with their loved ones. The reunions are full of joy: “We were catching up online regularly, but seeing them physically and hugging them was so awesome and so emotional”.

At Real Living sometimes we like to follow the traditions, and other times we like to try something new. For the past two years Epsom Village has moved away from the classic Christmas theme for their midwinter dinner. This time, the village decided to celebrate that the residents are travelling overseas again after the long Covid break with an internationally inspired dinner.

When we say that Remuera Gardens is a feast for the senses, we’re not exaggerating! The village has around 130 different varieties of camellias which flower during the autumn and winter months. The residents love walking around their little slice of paradise and they always stop and talk to Aaron, the village’s most devoted gardener. Aaron has spent the last seven years cataloguing every plant and believe it or not… he hasn’t finished yet!

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.

At Real Living we have many residents with remarkably successful careers. At Remuera Gardens we are very proud to have Nan Gibson-Brine among our residents. Working under the name of Nan Gibson, she is an accomplished concert pianist who has performed in England, Australia, SE Asia and New Zealand. Nan is so passionate about her music that for many years she shared her talent with the village organising delightful concerts and sing-alongs for her neighbours.

This week we’re celebrating National Volunteer Week sharing the story of our amazing volunteers at Epsom Village. This amazingly huge display is what the residents have collected to send to war-ravaged Ukraine. The lot includes stationery, toiletries, sanitary and baby items, toys, and on top of that, around 260 hand-knitted and crocheted pieces by our own talented residents.

Team building exercises contribute to establishing a stronger connection between staff members. Pakuranga Park recently organised a fun day for their staff called the Amazing Race, with challenges that involved playing snooker, blind tasting, dressing up and even jumping in the village pool! Staff members really enjoyed interacting with each other in a different setting and there were many moments of uncontrollable laughter…

Shaun Wallace, aka “The Dark Destroyer” from The Chase, is touring New Zealand and we’re so thrilled that his first stop was Remuera Gardens! Did you know that he loves New Zealand and he’s a big fan of… kiwi onion dip? Yesterday Shaun fulfilled one of his dreams: to meet the inventor of our most famous dip, Rosemary Mount, who happens to be one of our residents at Real Living!

If there’s one thing that our residents know how to do well… it is to have fun for a good cause! Real Living Villages raised a whooping $2800 for the Breast Cancer Foundation with the Pink Ribbon breakfasts they held during May. At Epsom Village a sea of pink covered the lounge while the residents enjoyed succulent Eggs Benedict to raise funds for breast cancer.