Residents of Arrowtown’s retirement village are rejoicing in their new ‘home away from home’ — a $13 million lodge which was officially opened at the centre of their McDonnell Rd facility last Thursday.
A generous 1400 square metres, it includes communal lounges, a dining area and kitchen, fireside club bar, library, fitness room, wellness and hair salon, 13m indoor heated swimming pool, spa, 40-seat cinema and a studio for arts, crafts and exercise classes.
Outdoors there’s a competition-size petanque piste, BBQ area and a spacious village green for various events.
‘‘The lodge is designed with our residents’ comfort in mind, to use as a home away from home or a good place to hide when the vacuuming needs doing,’’ Arrowtown Lifestyle Village sales manager Vicci Lawrence says.
‘‘It’s a meeting place with something for everyone.
‘‘We already have a full programme of exercise and dance classes, wellbeing services and Christmas parties to host.’’
Four years after the first residents moved in, the village currently boasts 78 two- and three-bedroom villas housing 113 residents.
Work’s just starting on 12 of the final 22 villas.
And the village’s former temporary clubhouse is being converted into a three-bedroom villa.
Officially open: Arrowtown Lifestyle Village co-developer Roger Monk, who formerly used the property as his farm’s aircraft landing strip, performs the ribbon-cutting with 8-year-old granddaughter Molly Monk. PICTURE: JAMES ALLAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Managing director Aaron Armstrong says they’re completing design work for 40 apartments, while care apartments and a hospital-care facility are also in the pipeline.
Concerning the lodge, he says ‘‘we’re just thrilled with the way it’s turned out’’.
The builder, JMI Construction, has also built the villas, while the project manager was Envision Eighty 20, the architect was Foley Group Architecture and the landscape architect was LAND Landscape Architects.
The 16-month build, Armstrong told guests at the opening function, had ‘‘started at an incredibly-challenging time’’ with the likes of the gib
board crisis and the Ukraine war also causing supply issues.
Board chair Ron Anderson said the building ‘‘will be here for 100 years or more’’.
He also praised the facility’s ‘‘exceptional management’’ and boldly suggested the retirement village was probably the best in New Zealand ‘‘and the residents will be the happiest’’.
Meanwhile, Queenstown Country Club — the Whakatipu’s other retirement village — opened its clubhouse in winter last year.
