VV VillageVitals
Life 59Capital Back 54⚖ Get independent advice
The Anchorage
photos: operator / Village Guide
Retirement living · One Tree Point, Whangarei

The Anchorage

The Anchorage Lifestyle Village L.p. · Marsden Cove waterfront · independent villas & apartments with private beach access
Life Score
59
Good
Capital Back
54
the money ↓
See what life here is like — then weigh what it means for your family further down.
The Anchorage The Anchorage The Anchorage The Anchorage The Anchorage The Anchorage The Anchorage The Anchorage The Anchorage The Anchorage The Anchorage The Anchorage
The village

Life here

Perched on the idyllic waterways of Marsden Cove with expansive views of Mt. Manaia, The Anchorage offers a boutique retirement lifestyle unlike any other in Northland. Residents enjoy waterfront living just 25 minutes from Whangarei city, with direct access to boating, swimming, and water activities. The village combines modern resort-style finishes with comprehensive amenities—café, bar, gym, bowling green, and an indoor pool opening soon—creating an active, social community for those over 60 who want to embrace coastal living.

Your home

Living options

Homes for Active Retirees

Choose from modern villas and waterfront residences, each thoughtfully designed with style and comfort in mind.

✓ Waterfront Residences—mere metres from the water's edge with resort-style finishes
✓ Premium 2-bedroom Quadplex Villas
✓ 3-bedroom Waterfront Residences
✓ Garden Duplex Villas
✓ Units from 109 m² to 177 m²
Living options
A day in the life

What living here is actually like

The Anchorage is built for an engaged, social lifestyle.

Activities & Community

Residents enjoy a full calendar of organised entertainment, social outings, and water-based activities. The village café and restaurant are gathering hubs, while the bowling green, lawn bowls, table tennis, and quizzes keep the community connected. A village van is available for outings.

✓ Café and restaurant
✓ Bowling green and lawn bowls
✓ Table tennis and cards
✓ Organised entertainment and social outings
✓ Boat ramp and private beach access
✓ Gym
✓ Indoor pool (opening soon)
✓ Library
✓ Barbecue areas
Always something on
On your doorstep

Facilities & services

Café
Restaurant
Bar
Gym
Bowling green
Lawn bowls
Table tennis
Library
Boat ramp
Private beach access
Barbecue area
Communal lounge
Village van
Indoor pool (opening soon)
Peace of mind

Care for life, on site

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

Independent
✓ Emergency call system in units · Housekeeping
Care and community
Where it is

Setting & neighbourhood

The Anchorage sits on the waterways of Marsden Cove in One Tree Point, Whangarei, with unparalleled views of Mt. Manaia. Located just 25 minutes from Whangarei city, the village offers easy access to local retail shops, eateries, and medical facilities while maintaining a peaceful, resort-like coastal setting. Residents enjoy a private beach and boat ramp—amenities unique to this village in New Zealand.

Interested?

Like the look of The Anchorage?

Get the brochure, current pricing and availability, or book a look around — sent straight to you. No pressure, and we'll never pass your details to the village without asking.

We only use this to send you village info. Independent — no operator pays to be listed.
✓ On its way

We'll email the details shortly.
Want a second opinion on the contract too? Get independent advice →

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
54
Around average · #120 of 520
Better than 77% of NZ villages — yet the market median is just 46. The sector is tough.
Deferred fee
30%
~$180k on a $600k unit, over 4 years
Your share of capital gain
50%
you keep some of any uplift
Time to get capital back
~205 days
median, from 1 recent resales
Fees after you leave
Stop
good — many villages keep charging
7 years
Your estate receives
$534,000
Operator keeps (deferred fee)$66,000
Share of your $600,000 back89%
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 54 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%
30% deferred fee — lower is better.
25
Share of capital growth Capital gain to resident — weighted 15%
You keep 50% of any uplift.
50
Speed your capital returns Median resale time — weighted 30%
205 days across recent resales.
78
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%
No interest on delayed repayment.
0
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

30% of $600,000 = ~$180,000

Accrues over your first 4 years, charged on the entry price.

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

Capital gain

50% to the resident

You keep a share of any increase in the licence value at resale.

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

How fast your capital comes back

~205 days median

Your capital is repaid once the unit is re-licensed to a new resident. (Operator-stated average: 205 days.)

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

Fees & interest on exit

Resident-friendly

Weekly fees stop when you vacate.

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.
  • Roughly $180,000 is gone in deferred fees within 4 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