This article provides a preliminary analysis of issues and challenges associated with a qualitative participatory research project conducted in Auckland, New Zealand. It traces the history of the development of the project in two selected urban areas which entails an investigation of a full range of learning for older adults--formal, non-formal and informal--to provide a benchmark of data on older adults' lives and linked learning. The issues emerging in this project so far have been primarily methodological, and these are discussed in the context of working alongside older adults as co-researchers. Challenges for the next phases of the project are identified, including prospects for international comparison of findings and themes.