Words on Wednesday

Thistles and Kiwis

The sun was shining, the temperatures must have got up to 18C where we are, and since Pilates was cancelled this morning, I decided a walk was on the cards, and headed down to Karori Cemetery,

I read that this Cemetery is New Zealand’s second largest burial ground and covering nearly 40 hectares and is the final resting place of around 83,000 people. It certainly covers a huge area as you can see below. Surrounded by hills and trees, it is quite an impressive site.

Established in 1891, the cemetery was planned to replace Bolton Street Cemetery (which has featured in this blog in the past). By the 1950s, it had almost reached maximum capacity, and the only plots now available are family ones. Makara Cemetery is now Wellington’s principal cemetery, which was opened in 1965.

As you can imagine there is much history to be discovered here. I spotted this little angel and below read a very moving story. The memorial is to Lyle Ratcliffe, who died aged 10 1/2 who heroically lost her life at Thorndon Baths 12th May 1927 through rescuing Minnie Day from drowning. So sad, and one can’t imagine how the families must have felt.

My eyes were naturally drawn to the cat, perched upon this memorial. This is the grave of Harry McNish who was a carpenter on the ill-fated expedition to Antarctica by Ernest Shackleton (when 29 men were trapped by ice for over a year, and then stranded on a frozen island for another five months). McNish adopted the ship’s cat, Mrs Chippy, who unfortunately had to be put to sleep after the ship got into trouble. I also read that McNish was one of the crew that left the island and sailed to the whaling base on South Georgia to find help. All very interesting and so nice to see the cat remembered too.

There are two heritage trails that you can follow and that I need to investigate for the next time I visit. As you can see, it was a beautiful sunny day today after all the rain earlier in the week. If you get a chance to visit, it is well worth it if a bit out of the way of the usual tourist spots.

Also entered in Wednesday Words and Whimsy hosted by Min.

Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer, good food and pretends to garden.

You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis.

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Published by Thistles and Kiwis

Loves summer, sunshine and cats. Beginner gardener, likes eating, cooking and reading about food

45 Comments

  1. I loved reading your post today. That is a huge cemetery. As a genealogist, I do love wandering around a cemetery and reading the inscriptions. It’s beautiful that the cat was included.

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    1. I really have to go back and go through the main entrance as there is a lot more information available such as where the heritage buildings are and how to find different trails. Lots to explore!

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  2. That is a huge cemetery! I enjoy walking around cemeteries and reading the stones, seeing the images and items left behind in remembrance.

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  3. I love wandering round old cemeteries and imagining the backstories of the people buried there. So sad that little Minnie died saving her friend and how kind of the family to commemorate her in this way. I especially enjoy all the strange names people were given in former times. Our small village cemetery doesn’t provide much in the way of interest – unless you count the number with the surname of ‘Jones’. I think I would spend hours in your cemetery.

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    1. The story of the drowning was just so sad. What other stories are there still to uncover? I need to go back and do a proper explore.
      We once went to what was supposed to be a graveyard of Scandinavian first immigrants….couldn’t find a single one 🙂

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  8. So many hidden stories to be found in cemetaries, aren’t there, Barbara? I don’t often get the opportunity to wander through but on a visit to Adelaide a number of years ago, my cousin took us to a cemetary and it was fascinating just reading the headstones and wondering about the lives of those buried there. x

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  14. Looks like a gorgeous day Barbara and it’s always interesting wandering around these places with so many stories. We spent ages in the cemetery on Norfolk Island, we’d only intended to pop in for a few minutes in between other activities, but got hooked well and truly!

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  15. Are those snowdrops in the first photo? I love them, and they take me back to either my childhood in England or to Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home in Virgina, outside Washington, D.C. A hint of spring to come!

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  17. I am glad to read in the comments that I am not the only one who finds old cemeteries fascinating. It does look like a stellar day for wandering and a great use of the freed up time.

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  18. Thank you for choosing to take us along to Karori Cemetery. As someone who appreciates cemeteries, I was grateful to see such an historic, beautiful and interesting one in New Zealand. The stories you recounted touched me and the photos are lovely. (I guess you can do your Pilate “hundreds” another time….)

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    1. I only saw a tiny fraction of the cemetery, and must go back to explore more. I wish I had gone in the main entrance to pick up more information, but I doubt I would have stumbled over the things I found. And I went to Pilates yesterday (Thursday for me) instead 🙂

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  19. I love this post. I’ve heard the story about the cat before, but I never knew that there was a grave feature in him poor chippy! It actually brought the shackleton story to life for me. Funny how one small detail can give such perspective.

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  20. Hi Barbara, what a lovely post! That is one huge looking cemetery and quite beautiful too! Lots of lovely nature which makes a nice resting place. The story of the drowning was very sad and I adore the cat on the grave of Harry McNish. I think one could spend many hours in a cemetary getting lost in all the stories, many of which are so sad. Thanks for linking up with #WWWhimsy – hope you have a fabulous weekend! xo

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  24. Somehow I missed this post, so I am glad you linked to it from the small pleasures this week. Like others have said I too enjoy a wander around an older graveyard, there is always so much to learn and often they are in the most incredible locations. They are also very peaceful places to spend time in. This one sounds like there is much still to be explored.

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