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Karoro cemetery.2016.
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Date of Photo2016Map[1]
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Location (city or town)KaroroLandmark (Place)Karoro cemeteryOrganisation (eg business)Karoro cemetery
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Category TagCemetery
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Heather Newby and 54 others like this.
Laura Mills Detlaff Laurie Anisy
Kerry Keating Likely to mark out exactly where the body was laid to rest???
Unlike · Reply · 2 · February 15 at 7:38pm
Paddy N Belinda Blanchfield
Paddy N Belinda Blanchfield Slow up the grave robbers
Rory Paterson Not far from the truth! Animals can smell (and dig) to a certain depth too so concrete will help prevent that I'm sure
Jean Wilson and more desise back then (spelling terrrible)
Laura Mills Detlaff Alberta cemetery
Laura Mills Detlaff's photo.
Mandy Clarke something to do with wealth?
Mike Simpson No stops them trying to get out
Kelly Williams Sue Hancock....thats hlf our cemetery
Don Hutton Some NZ cemeteries have been seriously vandalised e.g Dunedin although the NZ Historic Cemeteries Trust has been restoring some graves there and elsewhere. The cemeteries we saw in Canada were immaculate and respected.
Kerry Keating Is Muldoon cemented over?
Don Hutton It's very tempting to say something here about you know who, wink, wink Kerry Keating!
Martin Burt Stops the bodies floating out in floods
Annabel Nancy Robertson No it doesn't ...... Westport's first cemetery was/is like this, on the side of the orowaiti river, they lost a few coffins, that floated out to sea
Martin Burt Annabel Nancy Robertson I should not make facetious posts....
Andrea Rogers
Andrea Rogers I asked this question myself when I was about 10. We used to go searching for Lone Graves in Victorias (Australia) High Country & Gold rush areas. I was told there were quite valid reasons such as animals digging, underground water table, wealth, tradi...See More
Phyllis Aberbart In Reefton on the West Coat in New Zealand the Chinese graves are n a circle
Andrea Rogers Really. That's interesting. Are they on the outer edges also, away from the main Cemetary?
Tania Hawken I was told to stop grave robbers
Claire Ward No, it's nothing to do with grave robbing, which only happened in the 1800's. Families used concrete well after it stopped happening.
Don Hutton
Don Hutton I have quite a number of relations in S Africa. One has sent me photos of cemeteries that have been virtually wiped off the face of the earth by vandalism since the rainbow nation was established. I suppose it's a sort of reprisal thing for past hurts.
Claire Ward It's mostly to do with social mores. But yes, Mandy Clarke, it's a wealth thing also. You'll notice there are graves with no headstones - this is due to the family not being able to afford one. Yes, some headstones were destroyed by earthquakes & time....See More
Mike Simpson Really
Laurie Anisy They have been done that way in the Karoro Cemetery since 1864. The lawn cemeteries have since changed that style(1964 in Karoro).
Claire Ward A lot of cemeteries in the USA have only plaques at ground level.
Rory Paterson That is what is typiclly known as a "lawn cemetery" in NZ, e.g Ruru Lawn Cemetery, or Avonhead Lawn in Chch.
Cynthia McCaughan called a lawn cemetery
Don Hutton
Don Hutton It cost $800 to simply lift and fix my great great great grandfather's headstone back into place at the Southern Cemetery, Dunedin. Where the monuments have been shattered the cost is astronomical. Think about Christchurch cemeteries since the earthquakes (on going!!). The CCC won't pay. By comparison Karoro Cemetery is in excellent condition.
Claire Ward I agree, Don. Karoro Cemetery is one of the best maintained cemeteries in NZ. It's a beautiful cemetery.
Mike Simpson Why should ccc ratepayers pay
Claire Ward
Claire Ward Councils are not "allowed" to touch, maintain, fix, etc, in any way, a headstone or grave. That's left to the families. However, maintenance by mowing, weeding, etc is done.
Brenda Lavery Michael James Keating
Malcolm Howell Its true that overseas the grave area is smaller and just a headstone. Germany also like that. I think all the concrete is supposed to protect the buried coffin area from the elements. That said - the big old graves of the cemetry at Karoro where you c...See More
Claire Ward WOW, how fantastic, Malcolm! It's been many. many years since crypts/tombs or mausoleums have been allowed in NZ cemeteries.
Malcolm Howell Claire Ward I can confirm the the big old graves to the right of the main gate and up towards the top of the hill - well one of them has a small room underneath. All concreted and sealed off from the elements. The concrete plastered coffins were not shaped as coffins - but were long square boxes close to 2.6" high at least. Strange.
Andrea Harper My daughter and I were here visiting the relatives the other day and she asked the same question, great reading, Isabella Jamieson
Lynne Hawkins While on the subject of the Greymouth cemetery I noticed a headstone which to me seemed strange. it simply had the first name only of a woman. i can't remember what the name was. might have been Jane or something similar. Underneath the name was simply...See More
Erin Dense jane/john doe - unidentified female is my guess?
Lynne Hawkins Erin Dense Could be but it's an old grave and the term John or Jane doe would not have been used at that time. That is an american term.
Keating Keat Obvious answer is the Zombie apocalypse
Claire Ward Ha ha ha ha, I think you're right!!
Chris Tones Visionary thinking. Cement them in, just
Laura Mills Detlaff
Malcolm Howell Zombie's were dumb slow people and totally harmless - the modern version had not been created in 1956-57.
Claire Ward You won't be saying that when the apocalypse actually happens, Malcolm. So don't come crying to me! Ha ha ha!
Keating Keat You're probably right, Vampires were more likely the bigger threat in the 1900's
Rory Paterson
Rory Paterson Burial and Cremation Act stipulates minimum depth of burials (used to be 4 ft from top of the lid to surface, may have been updated). The only exception to this is where concrete is poured over top of the grave, so concrete can be used to meet these requirements, especially where additional interments happen at a significantly later date than the original burial/s.
Katarina Kennerley wonder if it was to stop grave robbers
Paul Francis I think it's to do with modern day lawn cemeteries being easier to maintain and some of the graves in the Karoro lawn section have 3 people in a single plot.
Robyn Gielis They look beautiful no matter what
Kelly Williams How gross playing footy down that park with all that mud ...yuck all the dead bodies oozing into it !
Robyn Gielis The park was always green lol
Allison Riding Leisa Gray, can you share this with your mum please. Perhaps it might interest her or Neil.
Leisa Gray Glenys Elizabeth Martin
John Lester Just making sure they cant get out.
Laurie Anisy We do cemetery tours but have not come across the "Jane" stone. We come across different stones all the time and wonder why we had not spotted them before.
Lynne Hawkins Thanks Laurie. I am not absolutley certain Jane was the name but it just had a single first name and the words Thou Will Be Done.
Laurie Anisy May have been going to add a full inscription at a later date.
Jennifer Gaskell I use to walk through the Karora Cemetary years ago when I was a teenager, the older graves are amazing, Some of the old cemetaries in Christchurch are the same, very interesting, I agree stop them from getting out.
Kerry Keating Every time I'm home, I walk around the cemetery. I have a chat with old friends, relations and of course, my parents.
Like · Reply · 5 · Yesterday at 9:29am
Dianne Patchett
Dianne Patchett I do this as well Kerry, so pleased i'm not the only one who does this....I'll be doing this late October at the Reefton Cemetery....
Don Hutton Me too Kerry Keating!
Geoffrey Bell Lynne Hawkins. The Council will be able to identify who the "Jane" is in the grave. They will have a record of it. If there's not an I.D. number at the foot of the grave then use the attached map to identify the section and then count up and across. Ag...See More
Geoffrey Bell's photo.
Don Hutton Thanks for this Geoffrey Bell. Useful for my family history archives. Mum and Dad are in the block on the far left.
Lynne Hawkins Thank you Geoffrey Bell. I was curious but living in Hokitika I only visit now to visit my hubbies grave in the Returned services section. I can't quite remember where I saw it but it is up the top somewhere around the middle i think. I was only curious as to why no surname etc but Council won't be able to tell me that.
Les Holmes Germanicus My great, great grandmother who died at Nelson creek in 1872 is buried in the pioneer section of Greymouth cemetery.
Caroline Jamieson my grandparents are buried there
Jean Wilson my Great Grandparents are there and Gran and Grandad were creameated and placed about a foot down at the feet of Grans parents grave
Tim Mora A lot of English cemeteries in the past and a few still today allow for kerb sets where a stone or concrete surround is laid around the grave. This could be infilled with a stone slab or concrete as well. I suspect several reasons.
Decoration, to pre...See More
Gregory Ross NZ is considerably more English than is Canada, and in England grave-robing was quite big business until recent years. Also, in Canada and other Eurpoean countries the ground is frozen solid for five - six months per year and this prevents grave-robbing, and reduces the need for addition concrete and other protection on graves.
Heather Newby and 54 others like this.
Laura Mills Detlaff Laurie Anisy
Kerry Keating Likely to mark out exactly where the body was laid to rest???
Unlike · Reply · 2 · February 15 at 7:38pm
Paddy N Belinda Blanchfield
Paddy N Belinda Blanchfield Slow up the grave robbers
Rory Paterson Not far from the truth! Animals can smell (and dig) to a certain depth too so concrete will help prevent that I'm sure
Jean Wilson and more desise back then (spelling terrrible)
Laura Mills Detlaff Alberta cemetery
Laura Mills Detlaff's photo.
Mandy Clarke something to do with wealth?
Mike Simpson No stops them trying to get out
Kelly Williams Sue Hancock....thats hlf our cemetery
Don Hutton Some NZ cemeteries have been seriously vandalised e.g Dunedin although the NZ Historic Cemeteries Trust has been restoring some graves there and elsewhere. The cemeteries we saw in Canada were immaculate and respected.
Kerry Keating Is Muldoon cemented over?
Don Hutton It's very tempting to say something here about you know who, wink, wink Kerry Keating!
Martin Burt Stops the bodies floating out in floods
Annabel Nancy Robertson No it doesn't ...... Westport's first cemetery was/is like this, on the side of the orowaiti river, they lost a few coffins, that floated out to sea
Martin Burt Annabel Nancy Robertson I should not make facetious posts....
Andrea Rogers
Andrea Rogers I asked this question myself when I was about 10. We used to go searching for Lone Graves in Victorias (Australia) High Country & Gold rush areas. I was told there were quite valid reasons such as animals digging, underground water table, wealth, tradi...See More
Phyllis Aberbart In Reefton on the West Coat in New Zealand the Chinese graves are n a circle
Andrea Rogers Really. That's interesting. Are they on the outer edges also, away from the main Cemetary?
Tania Hawken I was told to stop grave robbers
Claire Ward No, it's nothing to do with grave robbing, which only happened in the 1800's. Families used concrete well after it stopped happening.
Don Hutton
Don Hutton I have quite a number of relations in S Africa. One has sent me photos of cemeteries that have been virtually wiped off the face of the earth by vandalism since the rainbow nation was established. I suppose it's a sort of reprisal thing for past hurts.
Claire Ward It's mostly to do with social mores. But yes, Mandy Clarke, it's a wealth thing also. You'll notice there are graves with no headstones - this is due to the family not being able to afford one. Yes, some headstones were destroyed by earthquakes & time....See More
Mike Simpson Really
Laurie Anisy They have been done that way in the Karoro Cemetery since 1864. The lawn cemeteries have since changed that style(1964 in Karoro).
Claire Ward A lot of cemeteries in the USA have only plaques at ground level.
Rory Paterson That is what is typiclly known as a "lawn cemetery" in NZ, e.g Ruru Lawn Cemetery, or Avonhead Lawn in Chch.
Cynthia McCaughan called a lawn cemetery
Don Hutton
Don Hutton It cost $800 to simply lift and fix my great great great grandfather's headstone back into place at the Southern Cemetery, Dunedin. Where the monuments have been shattered the cost is astronomical. Think about Christchurch cemeteries since the earthquakes (on going!!). The CCC won't pay. By comparison Karoro Cemetery is in excellent condition.
Claire Ward I agree, Don. Karoro Cemetery is one of the best maintained cemeteries in NZ. It's a beautiful cemetery.
Mike Simpson Why should ccc ratepayers pay
Claire Ward
Claire Ward Councils are not "allowed" to touch, maintain, fix, etc, in any way, a headstone or grave. That's left to the families. However, maintenance by mowing, weeding, etc is done.
Brenda Lavery Michael James Keating
Malcolm Howell Its true that overseas the grave area is smaller and just a headstone. Germany also like that. I think all the concrete is supposed to protect the buried coffin area from the elements. That said - the big old graves of the cemetry at Karoro where you c...See More
Claire Ward WOW, how fantastic, Malcolm! It's been many. many years since crypts/tombs or mausoleums have been allowed in NZ cemeteries.
Malcolm Howell Claire Ward I can confirm the the big old graves to the right of the main gate and up towards the top of the hill - well one of them has a small room underneath. All concreted and sealed off from the elements. The concrete plastered coffins were not shaped as coffins - but were long square boxes close to 2.6" high at least. Strange.
Andrea Harper My daughter and I were here visiting the relatives the other day and she asked the same question, great reading, Isabella Jamieson
Lynne Hawkins While on the subject of the Greymouth cemetery I noticed a headstone which to me seemed strange. it simply had the first name only of a woman. i can't remember what the name was. might have been Jane or something similar. Underneath the name was simply...See More
Erin Dense jane/john doe - unidentified female is my guess?
Lynne Hawkins Erin Dense Could be but it's an old grave and the term John or Jane doe would not have been used at that time. That is an american term.
Keating Keat Obvious answer is the Zombie apocalypse
Claire Ward Ha ha ha ha, I think you're right!!
Chris Tones Visionary thinking. Cement them in, just
Laura Mills Detlaff
Malcolm Howell Zombie's were dumb slow people and totally harmless - the modern version had not been created in 1956-57.
Claire Ward You won't be saying that when the apocalypse actually happens, Malcolm. So don't come crying to me! Ha ha ha!
Keating Keat You're probably right, Vampires were more likely the bigger threat in the 1900's
Rory Paterson
Rory Paterson Burial and Cremation Act stipulates minimum depth of burials (used to be 4 ft from top of the lid to surface, may have been updated). The only exception to this is where concrete is poured over top of the grave, so concrete can be used to meet these requirements, especially where additional interments happen at a significantly later date than the original burial/s.
Katarina Kennerley wonder if it was to stop grave robbers
Paul Francis I think it's to do with modern day lawn cemeteries being easier to maintain and some of the graves in the Karoro lawn section have 3 people in a single plot.
Robyn Gielis They look beautiful no matter what
Kelly Williams How gross playing footy down that park with all that mud ...yuck all the dead bodies oozing into it !
Robyn Gielis The park was always green lol
Allison Riding Leisa Gray, can you share this with your mum please. Perhaps it might interest her or Neil.
Leisa Gray Glenys Elizabeth Martin
John Lester Just making sure they cant get out.
Laurie Anisy We do cemetery tours but have not come across the "Jane" stone. We come across different stones all the time and wonder why we had not spotted them before.
Lynne Hawkins Thanks Laurie. I am not absolutley certain Jane was the name but it just had a single first name and the words Thou Will Be Done.
Laurie Anisy May have been going to add a full inscription at a later date.
Jennifer Gaskell I use to walk through the Karora Cemetary years ago when I was a teenager, the older graves are amazing, Some of the old cemetaries in Christchurch are the same, very interesting, I agree stop them from getting out.
Kerry Keating Every time I'm home, I walk around the cemetery. I have a chat with old friends, relations and of course, my parents.
Like · Reply · 5 · Yesterday at 9:29am
Dianne Patchett
Dianne Patchett I do this as well Kerry, so pleased i'm not the only one who does this....I'll be doing this late October at the Reefton Cemetery....
Don Hutton Me too Kerry Keating!
Geoffrey Bell Lynne Hawkins. The Council will be able to identify who the "Jane" is in the grave. They will have a record of it. If there's not an I.D. number at the foot of the grave then use the attached map to identify the section and then count up and across. Ag...See More
Geoffrey Bell's photo.
Don Hutton Thanks for this Geoffrey Bell. Useful for my family history archives. Mum and Dad are in the block on the far left.
Lynne Hawkins Thank you Geoffrey Bell. I was curious but living in Hokitika I only visit now to visit my hubbies grave in the Returned services section. I can't quite remember where I saw it but it is up the top somewhere around the middle i think. I was only curious as to why no surname etc but Council won't be able to tell me that.
Les Holmes Germanicus My great, great grandmother who died at Nelson creek in 1872 is buried in the pioneer section of Greymouth cemetery.
Caroline Jamieson my grandparents are buried there
Jean Wilson my Great Grandparents are there and Gran and Grandad were creameated and placed about a foot down at the feet of Grans parents grave
Tim Mora A lot of English cemeteries in the past and a few still today allow for kerb sets where a stone or concrete surround is laid around the grave. This could be infilled with a stone slab or concrete as well. I suspect several reasons.
Decoration, to pre...See More
Gregory Ross NZ is considerably more English than is Canada, and in England grave-robing was quite big business until recent years. Also, in Canada and other Eurpoean countries the ground is frozen solid for five - six months per year and this prevents grave-robbing, and reduces the need for addition concrete and other protection on graves.
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West Coast New Zealand History (29th Jul 2023). Karoro cemetery.2016.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 5th Apr 2026 02:05, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/15176