Southland Cemeteries

Athol is halfway between Lumsden and Kingston on SH6, the route from the south to Queenstown. The cemetery is about 111km from Invercargill and is on Carlisle Street. Because of the geography of the area, the cemetery is similar in appearance to neighbouring Garston. A noticeable feature is the headstones of several generations of a few families, names synonymous with the district.

Administrated by:

Athol Cemetery Trust
C/- Mr R Soper
PO Box 18
Athol
9749
Email rj.soper@xtra.co.nz

Balfour is 18km from Lumsden but if travelling from Invercargill the trip can be shortened slightly by taking the St Patricks Road turn-off soon after reaching the bottom of the Josephville Hill. This route is 87km. Carry straight on towards Riversdale and the cemetery is quite visible, just opposite another landmark, MacGregors Garage. The cemetery is always well kept and has a special feature (courtesy of the Lions Club) - a list showing location and names of those interred here.

Administrated by:

Balfour Cemetery Trust
C/- Mrs Lynda Hodge
Longridge North
PO Box 26
Balfour
9746

The first known burial was that of John Fox Overingham on 3rd December 1860. It is a closed cemetery and no new burials are accepted unless there is already an existing family plot.

Administrated by:

Invercargill City Council
101 Esk St
P Bag 90104
Invercargill
Phone: 03 211 1777
Fax: 03 211 1433

The cemetery is 35 km from Invercargill and its address is 5 Cemetery Rd, Isla Bank, Southland. This district, or parts of it, have had other names; Paulin's Bush, Limestone Plains and Calcium. The last two are named after the extensive limestone deposits in the area. Limestone Plains continues as the name of the Parish area for the nearby church and Calcium as the name for the cemetery. Isla Bank first came into use as the name of the postal district. The cemetery is the final resting place for many early settlers and later generations. The first recorded burial took place in 1891. Of the first ten entries in the register, six are children with unnamed babies identified by the father's name only.

Administrated by:

Calcium Cemetery Trust
C/- Mrs E Milne
31 Isla Bank Flints Bush Road
Isla Bank
RD 3
Otautau 9683k

Centre Hill cemetery usually fund by travelling to Mossburn and then turning down the road Wrey's Bush. A sign post of this road indicates the cemetery and this is about 100km from Invercargill. The cemetery commands a grand view to the east across the countryside to the White Hill Wind Farm (only just) visible in the photo.

Administrated by:

Southland District Council.
P O Box 903
15 Forth Street
Invercargill 9840
Phone: 0800 732 732
Fax: 0800 732 329

Charlton Park Cemetery is 64km from Invercargill. It is found on Bowmar Road, Charlton, Gore. The route is well sign-posted from SH1. Charlton Park cemetery was commissioned by the Gore Borough Council in 1974. It was developed as the old Gore Cemetery in Crewe Street was reaching the end of its useful life. It now receives the most burials in the Gore district and has a total area of 8.1 hectares, of which about half is now fully utilised. The current plotted area, including the cremation garden has a life expectancy of approximately 20 to 30 years. This leaves the remaining area, which is currently leased for stock grazing to be developed into plots

212km from Invercargill and 10km from Alexandra on the Springvale Road. The first striking feature of the cemetery is the stone fence, typical of the technique used in the buildings of the first pioneers. The second is the huge pine trees (Scots, Maritime and Umbrella or Stone Pines are here) and the huge cones shed annually. The cemeteries of Central Otago all contain from the earliest and simplest of graves to the much more elaborate ones of recent years

Administrated by:

Central Otago District Council
PO Box 122
Alexandra
Telephone: 03 440 0056

50 km from Invercargill. Follow the Colac Foreshore Road until the unmistakeable entrance way is seen. The grounds are well kept and tidy and although there are few visible reminders present, it is the site of several graves and the cemetery is 'full'.

64 km from Invercargill. When travelling North on State Highway 6, the Dipton Cemetery is found by turning left before the shop and crossing the bridge, turning left then left again. The cemetery is on the left 100m past the school. The original cemetery records have been entered into a computerised database, and information from this database is available to members of the public.

Administrated by:

Southland District Council.
PO Box 903
15 Forth Street
Invercargill 9840
Phone: 0800 732 732
Fax: 0800 732 329

East Winton Cemetery is 34 km from Invercargill. From Winton Township centre, turn east at Winton's Top Pub out Browns Road, heading towards Gore. Travel for approx 4kms taking left turn into Devereux Road. Travel approx 0.5km and the cemetery gates are on the left. This cemetery is relatively new and some thought has been given to the requirements of a good facility. Recent interments are near the road and good access with easy turning is available once through the gates.

Administrated by:

Southland District Council.
P O Box 903
15 Forth Street
Invercargill 9840
Phone: 0800 732 732
Fax: 0800 732 329

78 km from Invercargill and difficult to find. The Eastern Bush Cemetery is at the end of "Township Road".

The cemetery has a commemorative plaque of tribute to the Mouat Family ancestors. They and many of their descendants are interred here along with others whose available details are thoughtfully recorded on wooden posts with plaques of their own.

The plaque reads: In commemoration of Malcolm and Anna Bella Mouat. Pioneer settlers of the west beyond the Waiau and of Eastern Bush. In 1880 Malcolm explored the interior of southern Fiordland, viewing Lake Mouat from Mouat Peak. Their wedding in 1893 was the first in the Waiau area and combined 'The best-known names in the district.' Remembered by their descendants who gathered here on 27th March 2005.

This is the main cemetery in Invercargill covering over 30 hectares. A Cemetery Attendant is based at the cemetery and is available to assist with enquiries. It is advisable to telephone the office prior to visiting to ensure that there will be a staff member available to assist you with your enquiries. Eastern Cemetery is on the Corner of East & Rockdale Roads, Invercargill and main access is through the North Road/SH1 gates opposite the Ascot Hotel.

Administrated by:

Invercargill City Council
101 Esk St
P Bag 90104
Invercargill
Phone: 03 211 1777
Fax: 03 211 1433

Edendale is about 37 km from Invercargill and the cemetery is at the top of what is known as "The Edendale Hill". Because it is well sheltered behind high, cut trees, the cemetery isn't visible from the road. It is signposted at the Scenic Reserve Road and because a right hand turn is needed when travelling from Invercargill, care needs to be taken.

Administrated by:

Southland District Council.
P O Box 903
15 Forth Street
Invercargill 9840
Phone: 0800 732 732
Fax: 0800 732 329

150km from Invercargill. Ettrick is about half way between Millers Flat and Roxburgh. Well signposted. The Cemetery has magnificent views in any direction, and is a credit to the Trustees who maintain it.

Administered by:

Central Otago District Council,

43 Tarbet Street

Alexandra 9320

Turn right at the Lochiel Corner, onto the Forest Hill Crossing Road. The cemetery is on the left at the junction with the Forest Hill Cemetery Road. About 25km from Invercargill.

Administrated by:

Forest Hill Cemetery Trust
C/- Mr D Irwin
41 Forest Hill Crossing Road
Lochiel
RD 1
Winton 9781

46 km from Invercargill. Fortrose Cemetery is the seaward side of the road on the Tokanui-Gorge Road Highway. The earliest European Cemetery in the South Catlins, with the first burial recorded in 1873. James Wybrow, the first white settler in Fortrose, was buried here in 1878. Children of the Fortrose school raised money to erect a headstone in commemoration of the people who lost their lives in the wreck of the SS Tararua off the South Catlins coastline in 1881.The stone of Louisa Welsh bore an unusual epitaph "murdered by her husband" which was chiseled out many years later at the instruction of a local priest.

Administrated by:

Fortrose Cemetery Trust
C/- Mrs A McKenzie
Green Bush
298 Fortrose Otara Road
Fortrose
RD 5
Invercargill 9875
Email ann@greenbush.co.nz

123 km from Invercargill. The Cemetery is visible from the main road through Garston and the gateway is accessed from the road on the terraced road that runs parallel. The cemetery covers a wide area for its size and is flanked by Catholic Church on one side and the Presbyterian Church on the other.

Administrated by:

Garston Cemetery Trust
C/- Mr W A Gordon
Private Bag
Garston 9660

Gore is 65km from Invercargill and the cemetery is in Crewe Street. Access is also available from Waimea Street. The cemetery was established in 1878 and is now closed to all but the descendants of families who pre-purchased plots here. There is almost a park-like atmosphere here and the blossoms in spring only add to this impression.

Administrated by:

Gore District Council
P O Box 8
Gore
Phone: 03 203 9126
Fax: 03 203 9000
Email: smcivor@goredc.govt.nz

20km from Invercargill. On the western side of State Highway 1. Care should be taken when entering the cemetery from the Invercargill direction as the road is often very busy. The view East overlooks the Bluff Harbour.

Administrated by:

Invercargill City Council
101 Esk St
P Bag 90104
Invercargill
Phone: 03 211 1777
Fax: 03 211 1433

The cemetery is on private land on the Kaiwera Road (to Pukerau from the Old Coach Road). About 70 km from Invercargill. The Gore Historical Society placed this sign on the gate and it is the only sign that there are interments here.

Administrated by:

Gore District Council
P O Box 8
Gore
Phone: 03 203 9000
Fax: 03 203 9126

The cemetery is on the outskirts of the town on the Queenstown side. About 150 km from Invercargill. The entranceway is the most obvious indication that through a grove of trees is the cemetery. It is rarely used now that the resident population isn't great and it is well maintained.

Administrated by:

Queenstown Lakes District Council.
Private Bag 50072
Queenstown 9348
Phone: 03 441 0499
Fax: 03 443 0024

Lumsden is about 80km from Invercargill and the cemtery is number 14 Lumsden Riversdale Highway. Lumsden township grew because of its importance as a intersecting point for tavellers from the east and the south on their way to the goldfields and it is still important to travellers and the numerous surrounding farms. The cemetery reflects this both by its size and the area that the cemetery covers.

Administrated by:

Southland District Council.
P O Box 903
15 Forth Street,
Invercargill 9840
Phone: 0800 732 732
Fax: 0800 732 329

The Mataura cemetery is the Gore district's number two cemetery in terms of usage, the average yearly interment during the past three years being around 20. The Mataura cemetery covers 4 hectares of which approximately half is currently leased for grazing.

65 km from Invercargill. On the Orepuki Riverton road (Highway 99) turn left at the Monkey Island sign. Follow Frentz Road and the Heritage Trail signs. One of the most noticeable features of the location is the redness of the ground and the resilience of the trees in the face of the strong coastal winds.

Administrated by:

Orepuki Cemetery Trust
C/- Mr W Watson
37 Fryer Road
Orepuki
RD 1
Riverton 9881
Email southlife.watson@watchdog.net.nz

The 'old' cemetery resembles a battleground and is a terrible state of disrepair. Fortunately there appears to be sufficient local interest to prompt some action.

Administrated by: Southland District Council.
P O Box 903
15 Forth Street,
Invercargill 9840
Phone: 0800 732 732
Fax: 0800 732 329

The 'new' cemetery is about 50km from Invercargill. Go through Otautau and turn right onto Liemen Street, cross the Aparima River, carry on along the road to Bayswater to the lower part of the cemetery or turn right to Winton then left at Aparima Street to use the car park and upper access way. The most recent graves are on the upper (eastern) end and the earlier ones to the west.

Administrated by:

Southland District Council.
P O Box 903
15 Forth Street,
Invercargill 9840
Phone: 0800 732 732
Fax: 0800 732 329

Pukerau cemetery has had less than 5 burials in the last five years. A Pukerau resident currently runs stock on the unused Council cemetery land. This arrangement means minimal maintenance costs are incurred by Council and also leaves 3.2 hectares available for future development, should in the longer term another cemetery close to Gore be required.

70km from Invercargill. Drive on passed Tokanui on the road to Waikawa. Turn off to the left. Surrounded by rolling hills the cemetery has familar names to anyone familiar with the history of the district. It is still in use and administered by local Trustees.

Administrated by:

Quarry Hills Cemetery Trust
C/- Mr G L Buckingham
1085 Niagara Tokanui Highway
RD 1
Tokanui 9884

95 km from Invercargill. Turn off the main road (Newcastle Street) onto York Road. The road turns into Nine Mile Road and the Cemetery is located on the brow of the hill. A well established macrocapa hedge gives shelter from the south and the view to the north-east towards Freshford goes on forever.

Administrated by:

Riversdale Cemetery Trust
C/- Mrs S J Welsh
PO Box 90
Riversdale 9744
Email ShonaJeanne@xtra.co.nz

38 km from Invercargill. Take the road to Otautau at the turnoff on the Riverton side of the Race Course. Descendants of three Southern tribes still live in the Riverton area -Waitahi, Ngati Mamoe and Ngai Tahu and the area is known by the Maori name - Aparima. Riverton was established as a whaling station in 1873. Riverton is one of the earliest sites of European settlement and the cemetery has many historically important settlers interred here

Administrated by:

Southland District Council.
P O Box 903
15 Forth Street,
Invercargill 9840
Phone: 0800 732 732
Fax: 0800 732 329

263 Ryal Bush Wallacetown Road. About 20km from Invercargill. This is a church cemetery and is on private land. As a matter of courtesy, I would suggest making contact with the residents before entering.

St John's Cemetery is located on Durham Street, Waikiwi, Invercargill. St John's is a closed cemetery and no new burials are accepted unless there is already an existing family plot.

Administrated by:

Invercargill City Council
101 Esk St
P Bag 90104
Invercargill
Phone: 03 211 1777
Fax: 03 211 1433

The Tararua Acre Cemetery is where the victims of the shipwreck of the SS Tararua in April 1881 are buried.

The ship struck rocks near Waipapa point and was washed to the east. For days after the ship was wrecked, bodies were swept ashore and identification became impossible. The Tararua Acre which is almost opposite the site of the wreck, was made into a cemetery for 55 of the dead. Not all of the victims were buried in this cemetery, some others are buried at the Fortrose Cemetery on the Tokanui-Gorge Road Highway about 10km to the north west.

It is located about 300 meters from the road to Waipapa point, about 1000 meters to the east of the point, which is near Otara in Southland.

The cemetery is called Lynwood and is about 140km from Invercargill. It is approximately 15km from Teanau and the signpost at the turn-off up the Whitestone Road could be missed. The road at the cemetery loops around it and one of the noticeable features is the number of natural rock headstones.

Administrated by:

Southland District Council.
P O Box 903
15 Forth Street,
Invercargill 9840
Phone: 0800 732 732
Fax: 0800 732 329

81 km from Invercargill. This very tidy and well cared for cemetery is on the Tuatapere Clifden Road - Highway 99. This is quite a large cemetery and specially well laid out. The southern perimeter is bordered by the native trees that were once the dominating feature of the area and probably played an important role in the lives of many of those interred here.

Administrated by:

Tuatapere Cemetery Trust
C/- L E Kollat
149 Clifden Highay
RD1
Tuatapere 9691

120 km from Invercargill. The view in any direction from the Waikaia Cemetery is magnificent. It overlooks the Waikaia River, golf course and township and across to the Umbrella Mountains or the Garvie Mountain Range.

Administrated by:

Waikaia Cemetery Trust
C/- Ross Sage
PO Box 8
Waikaia 9745

88 km from Invercargill. The Waikawa Cemetery is located passed Waikawa on the road to Curio Bay. 439 Niagara Waikawa Road. The splendid view across the estuary is reason enough to visit this cemetery.

Administrated by:

Waikawa Cemetery Trust
C/- Mrs M E Yorke
Te Mara
15 Bell Road
Progress Valley
RD 1
Tokanui 9884

75 km rom Invercargill. Wairio Cemetery is not far from Nightcaps on the road to Ohai. 22 Nightcaps Ohai Road Wairio

Administrated by:

Southland District Council.
P O Box 903
15 Forth Street,
Invercargill 9840
Phone: 0800 732 732
Fax: 0800 732 329

60 km from Invercargill. On the Orepuki Riverton road (Highway 99) turn off at the Wakapatu Beach sign. Follow Austin Road and Riverton - Aparima Heritage Trail signs.

This burial site with its spectacular view across the sweeping beachline to the East is the final resting place of many of the Austin family and several graves are marked simply at either end with a small stone. This is not a public cemetery.

13 km from Invercargill. The easiest way to find the 'old' cemetery is to turn from Highway 99 onto Cumnock Street (the last on the left when travelling west) and following it to the intersection with Aloway Street. This cemetery has some wonderful examples of quality marble-work and some good work has been done to maintain the site. With an open view to the west it is quite picturesque. Saddly many of these wonderful monuments are settling on angles that will eventually cause them to fall.

Administrated by:

Southland District Council.
P O Box 903
15 Forth Street,
Invercargill 9840
Phone: 0800 732 732
Fax: 0800 732 329

31 km from Invercargill. On state Highway One, easily visible from the main road with good access for either Northbound or Southbound traffic.

This cemetery is full but new burials are accepted at the East Winton Cemetery. This is the resting place of many well known and fine local people but it is probably most well known for being host to Minie Dean, one of the South's most notorious murderers. In 1895 she was convicted and hanged for the murder of a child (she was purported to have killed three).

18 km from Invercargill. When travelling North on State Highway 1 the turn-off to Cemetery Road is to the left just inside the 80k sign and just before the Woodlands Township. The cemetery is well maintained and although it is quite close to the Main Road it has a special tranquility helped by a southern border of well established trees. Care should be taken if entering the cemetery grounds in a vehicle in wet weather... Parking is possible near to the gate and a small kiosk has a handy plan showing the cemetery layout and the names of those interred here.

Administrated by:

Southland District Council.
15 Forth Street,
Invercargill 9840
Phone: 0800 732 732
Fax: 0800 732 329

The Wreys Bush Cemetery is 59km from Invercargill. Take the substation road from Winton to Nightcaps. The cemetery is on the north (right hand side), about 24km from Winton. It isn't easy to see the cemetery because it is well off the road through a closed gate. If it is closed - close it behind you. If it is open - leave it open. The most noticeable feature of the cemetery is that whilst it is common to have separate Protestant and Catholic sections, these are paddocks apart.

Administrated by:

Southland District Council.
P O Box 903
15 Forth Street,
Invercargill 9840
Phone: 0800 732 732
Fax: 0800 732 329

45 km from Invercargill. The Wyndham Cemetery is probably best found by taking the back road to Mataura and turning off onto the Mimihau School Road. This road can be followed on through Mimihau and the turnoff onto Woods Road leads back to Wyndham. The names on the headstones are familiar to all in the district. The pioneers and their descendants overlook some of the best farmland in the world and would be proud to see their families still at work in the district

Administrated by:

Southland District Council.
P O Box 903
15 Forth Street,
Invercargill 9840
Phone: 0800 732 732
Fax: 0800 732 329