When Jen and Cedric first spotted Waterford by Oceania, it wasn’t just the modern architecture that caught their eye – it was something harder to define. “It sort of looked like the vibe,” Jen recalls.
They weren’t sure what they were looking for exactly, but they kept returning, walking past and wondering if this could be the place to begin their next chapter. For Cedric, the mind-shift of moving from their family home wasn’t as immediate.
“It took about 12 months,” he says, candidly. “I had to get my head around… am I going to miss big spaces at home, the garage, mowing lawns, cutting hedges – which I liked. But I wasn’t able to do those things anymore.”
That slow warming-up process is something many older Kiwis can relate to. The decision to move into a retirement village often comes with hesitation and can be an emotional decision. “It’s a big thing,” Cedric adds. “Because it’s going into something unknown.”
But the turning point came not from a brochure or sales pitch – it came from the community itself. One day, as they strolled through Waterford (for the umpteenth time!), a resident cheekily called out: “Are you people going to buy or are you just going to keep walking in here?” The whole table laughed. “Just buy it, you’ll like us!” they added.
That moment captured the essence of what they’d been looking for: a true sense of belonging.
“There was just a sense that this was it,” Jen says.
Now fully settled, both Cedric and Jen speak with confidence about their decision. “We never think about it,” Cedric says. The conversations, the connections, the genuine community – it’s nothing like what they expected, and everything they hoped for.
Their advice to others? “You just have to bite the bullet,” Jen says with a smile. “Once you’ve committed, you just go through it. And it’s worth it.”
To view the full video testimonial please click here.
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