Our Story
Graeme & Dawn McKenzie
From Manawatu to the Pacific Coast
After 30 years investing in residential property across the Manawatu, Graeme and Dawn McKenzie made a decision that surprised even their closest friends: they packed up and retired to Panama.
After three decades investing in residential rental property across the Manawatu and renovating more houses than we can count, we made a decision that surprised even our closest friends: we packed up and retired to Panama.
We're not travel bloggers. We're a retired Kiwi couple who did the research, ran the numbers, sold up, and actually moved. Everything on this site comes from lived experience — the good, the unexpected, and the occasional bureaucratic headache.
Panama won us over for three reasons: the Pensionado visa is the most generous retirement visa in the world, the cost of living is genuinely affordable, and the country is far more modern and well-organised than most people expect.
After retiring and watching our savings shrink every month on the NZ pension — dropping roughly $100k in annual income — I figured by the time we were 80, we'd be out of coin. So we made the call we'd talked about for years: leave, and go somewhere warm with a genuinely lower cost of living.
We looked at Thailand, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica before settling on Panama. The deciding factors were clear: low property costs, near-zero land tax, no Panamanian tax on foreign-earned income, and the Pensionado visa — the most generous and most affordable retirement visa we found anywhere in the world.
How We Got Here
Selling Up, Packing Up, and Flying South
The exit was a proper Kiwi sell-up. Graeme and Dawn listed everything on Trade Me, gave away what didn't sell, and arranged boarding for their eight poodles while the import paperwork was processed. They packed five suitcases — one and a half of which was dog gear — and flew via Houston to Panama City.
We completed all the visa paperwork before leaving New Zealand and applied for Pension Portability before we flew. Having friends already on the ground made an enormous difference to those first months — a huge thank you to Coral and John for everything they shared with us.
First Months in Panama
Getting Our Bearings
Spanish is a work in progress for both of them. Knowing your greetings and which bathroom to use goes a long way. The public bus and metro train systems were a revelation — Graeme and Dawn travel to Panama City for USD $2.50 each, and can go anywhere in the city on the metro for about 25 cents. The bus stops at Allbrook, 20 metres from the massive Allbrook Mall, and the metro leaves from the same spot. As Jo Seagar would say: easy peasy lemon squeezy.
We have never looked back. The cost savings are real, the people are warm and honest, and the lifestyle — beach, coffee farms, and a calendar full of fiestas — is everything we hoped it would be.
30+
Years of property investment
50+
Properties renovated
12+
Months living in Panama
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Book a one-on-one consultation with Graeme and Dawn and get answers tailored to your specific situation — pension type, budget, timeline, and preferred lifestyle.