David Mitchell, 87, at his Napier home, looking back on memories of the travels he shared with his late wife, Patsy Mitchell. Photo / Rafaella Melo

At 87, David Mitchell could have stayed home with his memories.

Instead, nearly three years after losing his wife, Patsy Mitchell, he packed his bags and boarded his first overseas trip alone.

It wasn’t an easy decision, as for more than 60 years, the Hawke’s Bay couple hadbeen travelling around the world together before Patsy died of pancreatic cancer in July 2023, at 81.

“We used to travel for business. We were exporters,” David told Hawke’s Bay Today.

David now lives independently in Ahuriri after moving from the Pākōwhai area, where the couple’s property was flooded during Cyclone Gabrielle, just five months before Patsy died.

On that day, a neighbour rescued her by dinghy, and she was later winched from a shed roof by helicopter. David was also rescued by helicopter from the roof of the garage about seven hours later.

“It was one of the last major experiences we shared,” he said.

Now, David keeps himself busy through a local car club, friendships, and occasional trips around the country.

Some of those are with Bay Tours’ Senior Guided Tours programme, which offers about 80 trips a year, ranging from day trips, multi-day holidays and overseas tours.

Bay Tours owner Kerren Withington said most travellers were from Hawke’s Bay, and in their 70s and 80s.

“We pick everyone up from their home, take them out, and then, at the end of the day, we drive them back home,” she said.

Withington said the service was about making travel easier and helping older people stay connected while supporting local businesses.

While cost-of-living pressures were affecting travel decisions, she said demand remained strong with many repeat customers and a growing number of new members joining the programme.

Best Travel senior agent Jacqui Quilliam said the desire to make the most of retirement was something she had seen often in Hawke’s Bay.

Jacqui, 70, has worked in the travel industry since 1974 and said many clients in their 70s were now more “adventurous, fit” and determined to travel now, “while they’re healthy”.

She estimated at least 60% of her clients were aged 60-plus, and said many travel solo, often after losing a partner.

“If you lose a partner, you suddenly find yourself on your own, and you tend to lose confidence in yourself,” she said.

“But going away and getting out of your comfort zone and meeting other people just makes it so much easier.”

She said cruises and guided tours often created opportunities for solo travellers to connect, with some forming new friendships.

Jacqui also knows personally that later life can still hold unexpected chapters.

She married her husband, Bob, for the second time two years ago, 17 years after their divorce.

They had first married in 1983, separated after 20 years, then reconnected after Bob returned from Australia following retirement.

Their daughters were bridesmaids at the second wedding.

Jacqui has no plans to retire any time soon.

“I am still quite young,” she said.

For Jeanette and Paul Odell, retirement is all about having more time to travel.

The Havelock North couple, now aged 75 and 80, have spent much of their 43-year marriage packing suitcases, boarding planes and chasing their next adventure together.

They estimate they have done close to 30 cruises and visited more than 60 countries over the decades.

These days, retirement life usually includes two or three overseas trips a year, plus regular visits to one of their sons in Christchurch and flying over to Australia, where the other son lives on the Gold Coast.

They know not everyone can afford the kind of travel they’ve been lucky enough to experience.

But if there is one thing retirement has taught them, it is not to wait too long for the things you want to do.

“Don’t think, ‘I’ll do it tomorrow or next year,’” Paul said.

“Next year, you might have had a stroke or whatever. You’ve just got to do it while you can.”

Rafaella Melo has more than 10 years of experience as a journalist in Brazil. She has worn many hats, from radio and TV presenter and producer to magazine editor before joining the Hawke’s Bay Today team as a multimedia journalist.