Tōtara Gardens Retirement Village
photos: operator / Village Guide
Retirement living · Warkworth, Rodney

Tōtara Gardens Retirement Village

BUPA Retirement Villages Limited · Tikipunga, Whangārei · villas + serviced apartments + care home on site
Capital Back
55
the money ↓
See what life here is like — then weigh what it means for your family further down.
The village

Life here

Nestled in Tikipunga near Whangārei, Tōtara Gardens offers a friendly atmosphere where residents downsize into stylish, low-maintenance homes while gaining access to a vibrant social community. Whether you choose a villa or serviced apartment, you'll enjoy beautiful landscaped grounds, a café next door, and the security of on-site care when you need it. With a supermarket, doctor and pharmacy just a short drive away, life here balances independence with the peace of mind that support is always close by.

Your home

Living options

Villa Living & Serviced Apartments

Choose from 78 stylish villas in one, two or three-bedroom plans, or serviced apartments with assisted living services that evolve with your needs.

One, two and three-bedroom villas
Modern appliances and open plan living
Built-in wardrobes and double glazed windows
Garage included
Serviced apartments with ensuite, kitchenette, patio or balcony
24-hour emergency call system in all homes
Living options
A day in the life

What living here is actually like

Life at Tōtara Gardens centres on connection and choice.

Community & Activities

From weekly morning teas and exercise classes to theatre, library access and games, there's always something to enjoy. The beautiful grounds, BBQ area and communal spaces encourage residents to socialise or relax as they prefer.

Theatre
Library
Games and activity room
Communal kitchen
Community lounge
Weekly morning teas
Exercise classes
BBQ area
Pool table
Café next door
Beautiful landscaped grounds
Always something on
On your doorstep

Facilities & services

Theatre
Library
Games and activity room
Communal kitchen
Community lounge
BBQ area
Wellness Clinic
24/7 emergency alarm system
Café on site
Peace of mind

Care for life, on site

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

IndependentServicedRest homeHospitalSecure dementia
Care and community
Where it is

Setting & neighbourhood

Tōtara Gardens is located in Tikipunga, Whangārei, in a scenic setting with a café located next door. The village is just a short drive from the local supermarket, doctor and pharmacy, making everyday errands convenient. The peaceful neighbourhood offers residents both tranquility and easy access to essential services.

Interested?

Like the look of Tōtara Gardens?

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
55
Above average · #106 of 520
Better than 80% 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
~250.5 days
median, from 6 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 55 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%
250.5 days across recent resales.
72
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

~250.5 days median

Your capital is repaid once the unit is re-licensed to a new resident. (Operator-stated average: 247 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