Sunset Retirement Village
photos: operator / Village Guide
Retirement living · Blockhouse Bay, Auckland City

Sunset Retirement Village

BUPA Retirement Villages Limited · Blockhouse Bay, Auckland · independent apartments + rest home & hospital care on site
Life Score
70
Strong
Capital Back
34
the money ↓
See what life here is like — then weigh what it means for your family further down.
The village

Life here

Opened in September 2015, Sunset Retirement Village sits in the quiet residential suburb of Blockhouse Bay, within ten minutes of golf courses, bowling clubs, and leafy parks. Residents like Anne treasure the magnificent sunsets from their west-facing apartments and the friendships they've made, while Suresh appreciates staying connected to the neighbourhood where he's lived for two decades. Village life here balances active entertainment—movie nights, high teas, happy hours—with the freedom to relax as you choose, all supported by a dedicated care home next door.

Your home

Living options

Stylish Independent Apartments

Choose from 18 one-bedroom or 45 two-bedroom apartments with ten different floor plans, each thoughtfully designed for modern retirement living.

Well-designed modern kitchens
Open plan lounge and dining areas
Ensuite bathrooms
Modern appliances and quality fittings
24/7 emergency call system in all units
Heat pump/air conditioning
Double glazed windows
Lock-up-and-leave convenience
Living options
A day in the life

What living here is actually like

Village life is as active or relaxed as you choose.

Activities & Community

Sunset offers a full calendar of social events and entertainment, from organised outings to quiet pursuits. Two large community lounges, a theatre, gym, and library provide spaces to connect with like-minded residents or enjoy peaceful time alone.

Movie nights and cinema
Games, cards, bingo, and quizzes
Exercise classes
Arts & crafts
High teas and resident dinners
Bar happy hours
Shopping trips and social outings
Organised entertainment
Billiards room
Beautiful landscaped grounds and BBQ area
Always something on
On your doorstep

Facilities & services

Two large community lounges
Movie theatre
Gym
Library
Hair salon
Beauty salon
Billiards room
Games/activity room
Communal kitchen
Dining room
Bar
BBQ area
Lock-up storage
Landscaped gardens
Wellness clinic
Village van
Peace of mind

Care for life, on site

If your health changes, you won't have to leave the place you know. Sunset Retirement Village offers these levels of care on site:

IndependentRest homeHospitalSecure dementia
✓ 24/7 emergency call system · Health clinic · Doctor available for appointments · Physiotherapy available for appointments · In-home personal assistance (showering/grooming)
Care and community
Where it is

Setting & neighbourhood

Sunset Retirement Village is nestled in the quiet residential suburb of Blockhouse Bay, Auckland. The location offers the best of both worlds: a peaceful neighbourhood setting with easy access to local amenities. Within a ten-minute drive, residents can reach two golf courses and a bowling club, while nearby parks and green spaces provide opportunities for outdoor recreation. The village is well-positioned for those who wish to remain connected to their community while enjoying the benefits of retirement living.

Interested?

Like the look of Sunset?

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Now the practical part

The money — what comes back to your family

You've seen why you'd love it. This is the part most families only discover at the exit statement — so we put it in plain sight. Every figure is from the village's own filed Disclosure Statement.

Capital Back score
34
Capital-unfriendly · #404 of 520
Better than 22% of NZ villages — yet the market median is just 46. The sector is tough.
Deferred fee
28%
charged on your entry price
Your share of capital gain
0%
operator keeps 100% of any uplift
Time to get capital back
~744 days
median, from 1 recent resales
Fees after you leave
Stop
good — many villages keep charging
Before you sign, get independent eyes on the contract.An ORA-review lawyer or independent financial adviser — never paid by any operator — checks what it really means for your family.
⚖ Get independent advice →
How the 34 is built

Nothing hidden — every component

The Capital Back score is a transparent weighting of five filed terms — you can see exactly where this village wins and loses.

Move-in fee you don't get back Deferred Management Fee — weighted 30%
28% deferred fee — lower is better.
30
Share of capital growth Capital gain to resident — weighted 15%
0% — the operator keeps any resale uplift.
0
Speed your capital returns Median resale time — weighted 30%
744 days across recent resales.
0
Fees stop when you leave Weekly fees on exit — weighted 15%
Charges end on vacancy.
100
Interest if repayment is slow Interest on delayed capital — weighted 10%
Interest is payable if capital is returned late.
100
The filed terms, in plain English

What the Disclosure Statement actually says

Every operator uses different words for the same thing — we normalise them so you can compare like with like.

%

Deferred Management Fee

28%

Accrues over your first 3 years, charged on the entry price.

Market: median 30%; only 16% of villages charge under 25%.

Capital gain

0% to the resident

Any increase in the licence value at resale is kept entirely by the operator.

Market: just 8% of NZ villages share any capital gain.

How fast your capital comes back

~744 days median

Your capital is repaid once the unit is re-licensed to a new resident. (Operator-stated average: 744 days.)

Market: median 154 days; 21 villages still average over a year.

Fees & interest on exit

Resident-friendly

Weekly fees stop when you vacate, and interest is payable if your capital is returned late.

Market: 220 of 520 villages keep charging weekly fees after you've gone.
Before you sign the ORA

The reckoning usually arrives too late

  • You're buying a licence to occupy, not the home — you can't sell, rent or borrow against it.
  • A large deferred fee is gone within a few years, whatever the unit later sells for.
  • Your family carries the risk of how long resale takes — and the operator's ability to pay.
  • None of this is hidden — it's all in the Disclosure Statement most people sign without reading.
Have someone independent read it first

We'll connect you with a retirement-village review lawyer or independent financial adviser — no operator pays to be here.

Request an ORA review → Talk to a financial adviser