Wakapuaka Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Wakapuaka Cemetery is a cemetery
located in Atawhai, Nelson, New Zealand
. The name means "heaps of aka leaves" in Māori
.
, Tasman Bay
, and Nelson city.
The area was first designated a cemetery zone on 18 November 1861. The first burial was conducted on the 9 December 1861. The first person buried
was Grace Annie who was 16 months old. The crematorium was erected in 1945 and has been extended since this date. There is a small chapel
, the Garin Memorial Chapel Dedicated to St. Michael also on this site. The Wakapuaka Cemetery now covers an area of 140,000 square metres. Over 16000 people have been buried in the cemetery. There are many notable people buried in this cemetery, including the victims of the Maungatapu murders
. The cemetery is easily accessed and is currently a registered walk
of Nelson.
This chapel is dedicated to the first Catholic
priest who served in Nelson, Father Garin. He served 48 years in New Zealand, and never returned to his home in France
. The chapel was completed in October 1890. The chapel is only seven meters long and has a width of five meters. The stone was sourced from Canterbury
and Otago
. Somerville designed the chapel. Father Garin is buried in the chapel's crypt
.
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
located in Atawhai, Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
. The name means "heaps of aka leaves" in Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
.
Location
Wakapuaka Cemetery is located at the southern end of Atawhai Drive in Nelson. The cemetery is located on a hill with a north west aspect. Therefore the cemetery looks over the Nelson Haven, the Boulder BankBoulder Bank
The Boulder Bank is a very unusual naturally formed land form in Nelson, New Zealand. It is a 13 kilometre long stretch of rocky substrate which begins at the Mackay Bluff and ends at the Cut of the Nelson Harbour. Haulashore Island was once apart of the Boulder Bank, but after the Cut being made...
, Tasman Bay
Tasman Bay
Tasman Bay is a large V-shaped bay at the north end of New Zealand's South Island. Located in the centre of the island's northern coast, it stretches along of coastline and is across at its widest point. It is an arm of the Tasman Sea, lying on the western approach to Cook Strait.At the bay's...
, and Nelson city.
History
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
was Grace Annie who was 16 months old. The crematorium was erected in 1945 and has been extended since this date. There is a small chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
, the Garin Memorial Chapel Dedicated to St. Michael also on this site. The Wakapuaka Cemetery now covers an area of 140,000 square metres. Over 16000 people have been buried in the cemetery. There are many notable people buried in this cemetery, including the victims of the Maungatapu murders
Maungatapu murders
The Maungatapu murders were the events surrounding the murders of five people on the Maungatapu track in two separate attacks, near Nelson, New Zealand which occurred on 12 and 13 June 1866...
. The cemetery is easily accessed and is currently a registered walk
WALK
WALK may refer to:*WALK , a radio station licensed to East Patchogue, New York, United States*WALK-FM, a radio station licensed to Patchogue, New York, United States...
of Nelson.
Notable people
The following notable people are buried at Wakapuaka Cemetery. Details of these burials can be obtained through the cemeteries database (enter the person's name in the search screen):- Joseph DodsonJoseph DodsonJoseph Reid Dodson JP , was the first Mayor of Nelson in New Zealand from 1874. He was a prominent brewer and Resident Magistrate in Nelson and his sixth generation descendants still operate a brewery in the city.-Early life:...
(1811/12–1890), first Mayor of NelsonMayor of Nelson, New ZealandThe Mayor of Nelson is the head of the municipal government of Nelson, New Zealand, and presides over the Nelson City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First Past the Post electoral system... - Joseph LevienJoseph LevienJohn Henry Levien Esquire, JP was a Freemason and Mayor of Nelson in New Zealand from 1875 to 1876.- Political career:...
(1810/1811–1876), second Mayor of Nelson - William Wells (1810–1893), Member of ParliamentParliament of New ZealandThe Parliament of New Zealand consists of the Queen of New Zealand and the New Zealand House of Representatives and, until 1951, the New Zealand Legislative Council. The House of Representatives is often referred to as "Parliament".The House of Representatives usually consists of 120 Members of...
The Garin Memorial Chapel
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest who served in Nelson, Father Garin. He served 48 years in New Zealand, and never returned to his home in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The chapel was completed in October 1890. The chapel is only seven meters long and has a width of five meters. The stone was sourced from Canterbury
Canterbury, New Zealand
The New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council - called Environment Canterbury - and the University of Canterbury.-...
and Otago
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
. Somerville designed the chapel. Father Garin is buried in the chapel's crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
.