Wellington city’s first two cemeteries, Bolton Street and Mount Street (Catholic), were both established within a short distance of the centre of Wellington in 1842, and by the 1880s both cemeteries were hopelessly overcrowded. With proximity to central Wellington, and overcrowding, came fears of disease; particularly as both cemeteries were built on land that sloped down to the town, and drainage was poor. Sanitation was an electoral issue as early as the 1850s, and became more prominent as the century progressed. In 1882 the government passed the Cemeteries Act to address issues of public health. The Act prevented the establishment of a new cemetery within the boundary of an existing city or borough. A new multi-faith cemetery opened in Karori in 1891, just ahead of the creation of the Karori Borough later that year.
The first burial at Karori was a month old infant who died on 3 August 1891 and it was another six months before the next burial. The cemetery was divided into zones by religious faith and denomination, in much the same way as Bolton Street, but with the addition of an area for Catholic burials. The various religious burial grounds were consecrated and regular burials began in February 1892. The Bolton Street Cemetery remained an option for interment for those with existing family plots until the late 1960s. The development of the Karori Cemetery was initially slow and most early sites can be found in close proximity to the main entrance.
As the population of Wellington increased so did the demand for both land for housing and for burial sites. Adjoining farmland was purchased as an extension to the burial ground at Karori but soon the, once rural, cemetery was surrounded by suburban housing. By the 1940s the council purchased farmland at Makara, and Makara Cemetery opened for its first burial on the 23rd March 1965. It soon became Wellington’s principal cemetery with interment at Karori limited to those with pre-purchased ash or family plots.
Karori Cemetery is undoubtedly one of the most significant historic places in Wellington. It is the location of nearly 80,000 graves, and of thousands of cremation repositories, and is the second largest burial ground in New Zealand. The cemetery is also remarkable for the scope and accuracy of the historic information it contains. Through its written records and grave inscriptions the cemetery offers social commentary on types of mortality e.g. infant and early deaths, accidents and epidemics. The types of monuments reveal much about taste, affluence (or otherwise) and the impact of a death on grieving relatives.
The graves and resting places of some of the most important New Zealanders of the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as the ordinary citizens of Wellington, are contained within the cemetery’s boundaries. Two of the most notable monuments are the memorial to the victims of the Tangiwai disaster of 1953, and the memorial to 20th century Prime Minister, Peter Fraser. The cemetery is also the resting place for many politicians, church and community leaders, prominent sportsmen and women, explorers, business leaders, civil servants and soldiers. The role that the Services Cemetery plays at Karori is one of its special features. But cemeteries are, to an extent, egalitarian places, in that the distinguished lie alongside thousands of people who never achieved any prominence in society but who lived lives of meaning and fulfilment.
The last 50 years have seen a change in use of the cemetery. Emphasis of management has shifted to conservation and to the future use of the area as a static cemetery without burials. Beautification has become a higher priority, and the community takes an active interest in cemetery’s appearance and its suitability for recreational use.
Jewish Chapel (Mortuary Chapel)
The former Mortuary Chapel is difficult to date. The original open shelter, that was built in c.1891 – 92, was described as a ‘tower with louvres’. Its state of disrepair, its lack of weather-tightness and its dual use for storage were the subject of early complaints. It was enclosed with a door and windows in 1892. A photograph and watercolour painting from 1895 - 96, both of which show the completed chapel, appear to corroborate these dates. The completion date is somewhat complicated by calls from the architect, F. de J. Clere, in 1896 for the Anglican Diocesan Board to build a mortuary chapel, and by claims by the Karori Historical Society that the chapel was built in 1902.
The chapel was the original centrepiece of the cemetery. A number of paths radiated out from the chapel like the spokes of a wheel. As the burial ground grew specific precincts developed, reflecting the city’s increasing ethnic diversity. The Chinese section lay to the southeast while the Jewish area was immediately adjacent to the chapel. Because of this proximity the building became known as the ‘Jewish Chapel’ or ‘Prayer House’ although it was open to use by all denominations. In the early 1950’s the Wellington Hebrew congregation took responsibility for the upkeep of the structure which accentuated their association with it. They maintained it for some years. Nevertheless, the Jewish Chapel began to show signs of age and in 1977 the City Council decided to restore it at a cost of $2,500.
The chapel still stands today but in the century since it was built its environment has changed. The cemetery’s originally bleak outlook is now softened by trees and the small shelter is encircled by mature pohutukawa which all but obscure it from view. Its previous prominence has been further diminished by a number of other structures which have been built nearby:- in particular, a number of mausoleums, some almost as big as the shelter, the crematorium and chapel (1909) and the larger chapel (1959) on the crest of a hill close by.
Crematorium and Chapel
The Karori Crematorium, which was built in 1909, is one of the first crematoriums in the Southern Hemisphere. The building was designed by Wellington City Corporation and constructed by J. Priddey. It cost £1433, more than half of which was provided by public subscription. This suggests that there was a keen public interest in the new facility. It’s most prominent external feature was a 50 foot chimney which towered above the building.
The crematorium used the latest English equipment as recommended by the London Crematorium Society. A coke-fired furnace, made by the Carbon-Oxide Company, produced temperatures in excess of 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. Soon after its installation it was reported that “forty eight cremations have taken place and the efficiency of the furnace has been thoroughly and satisfactorily demonstrated.” It may have been this innovative equipment which first attracted the interest of Wellington engineer, William Ferguson. Between 1914 and 1939 he and his family donated a series of six stained glass windows to the chapel. Each was dedicated to the memory of a family member, except ‘Gethsemane’ which is a memorial to James MacRae and Percival Parr. The windows were made in Dublin, by the An Tur Gloine Studio, where Ferguson had spent his student years. In 1990 another window was installed, recalling the death of John Butt at Sidi Rezegh in Libya during the Second World War.
In 1959 a new larger chapel was built just to the north of the crematorium, but cremation still occurs in the original building. At the end of a service in the new chapel the coffin vanishes behind curtains and then is transported via a 35 metre long underground tunnel to the original furnace. Nowadays the flames are fed by gas, rather than coke, but otherwise the equipment remains the same. The chimney was reduced to half its size in 1968.
Lychgate
In the years immediately following the First World War, memorials were erected throughout New Zealand to honour those who were killed. Most were sited in prominent places such as town centres or crossroads but memorials were also built in many cemeteries when the remains of some of those who died were returned to New Zealand. This lychgate was presented to Karori Cemetery by Mrs Ellen Hope-Lewis (c.1859- 1929) in memory of her husband and son. Mrs Hope-Lewis was the oldest daughter of Judge Fenton, the Chief Judge of the Native Land Court. She married Dr Hope Lewis who became an inspector of Military Hospitals and died in Auckland in 1918, her son Thomas Hope-Lewis died shortly after returning from WW1.
The lychgate at Karori Cemetery is a typical example of this type of war memorial. It was built in 1921 and bears the inscription ‘Peace with Honour.’ It was intended to be a shelter as well as the formal entrance to an extensive memorial garden that includes a number of diverse monuments. To the north of the lychgate is a large marble archway in memory of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force from Wellington who died and were buried at sea between New Zealand and overseas bases. To the east is a sundial commemorating Colonel Matthew Holmes and to the south lie a set of marble steps “in memory of those who fought and fell in defence of the world’s peace” erected by the Women’s National Reserve, Girls Branch. Nearby is a memorial cherry tree, planted by members of the US Navy, and a memorial kauri.
During the past 70 years the visibility of these memorials has diminished as trees in the vicinity have grown up and the lawns have gradually been filled with semi-circular lines of uniform military headstones. Only the lychgate retains its original prominence.
