Glendale Retirement Home is proving that life does not stop when you live in a rest-home.
Eight staff and residents have returned from an eight-night Fiji cruise.
Diversional therapist Gayleen Dunn said the trip did not get off to the best start, as their flight from Dunedin to Auckland was delayed for about an hour after they had already boarded the plane.
‘‘Our faithful people seeing us off were still there waving.
‘‘We planned to get on the boat nice and early and we were one of the last ones on, but at least we got on.’’
The group spent their time relaxing, attending shows and dance classes, doing quizzes and buying souvenirs.
They also made costumes for a Gatsby-themed night and were recognised by fellow passengers, from Middlemarch and the North Island, who saw their photo in The Star before they left.
There were ‘‘all these lovely people coming up and saying we saw your photo in the paper’’, Mrs Dunn said
‘‘It was so nice to have done something we have never done before.
‘‘Going into a rest-home, life does not end. You can still have those dreams.
‘‘We don’t just sit back.’’
Resident Patrick Byrnes said he enjoyed his first overseas trip.
Susan Blok said her favourite part was the fire dance in Suva.
Gavin Nicol said ‘‘it was a great trip’’ as part of 1960 people on board.
‘‘It was a whopper of a ship as far as we were concerned.’’
Crews members remembered their names and had been ‘‘very pleasant’’ and helpful, he said.
Caregiver Casey Brown said going on the cruise proved that people in rest-homes could still do what they wanted to do and had never done before.
‘‘It’s really, really exciting to be part of that.
‘‘We were just a group of people on holiday.’’
