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Timaru Cemetery - a museum without walls
South Canterbury Cemeteries


South Canterbury, New Zealand 

How does someone find a headstone: 
The online database can be search by cemetery using the advance search and by first names or even by sections e.g. RSA, General, Lawn, Free Ground, Childrens. The Timaru District Council has made available on line its database of burial records for the Arundel, Geraldine, Pareora West, Pleasant Point, Temuka and Timaru cemeteries at www.timaru.govt.nz/cemetery and many entries have good photographs. If there is a headstone there will be a photo for it.  The council had a guy on a work scheme taking photos for nine months. He finished the project in August 2007.  There are over 30,000 photos that complement the council�s online cemetery database and probably around 26,000 headstones. The monumental masons that work in the cemeteries take a photo of all headstones they create and this may be a way to keep the database up to date with photographs as there are about 400 to 500 burials a year. There are interesting headstones are out there. If you find any, please let me know. Example:
John Landsborough, Timaru, Block D Lot 281 and 282. Died 18 Aug. 1880.
John Mowbray Howard Tripp, Arundel, 1940 "Under the wide and starry sky dig the grave and let me lie"
Jane Satterwaite  Timaru, 1910. Angel

An enquiry can be made through either :

1. Email  enquiry@timdc.govt.nz 
2. At the counter, walk in to the District Council Office. Timaru District Council, 2 King George Place, Timaru.
3. Or phone. Phone (03) 684-8199

The name and year of death is sufficient to search on sometimes.  The more information given, the easier to narrow down the search. Fee. Generally no charge if you are enquiring about one name but if you have a few names there may be a five dollar fee. You will be given a plot map with the grave location highlighted by surname then listed then a detailed plan of the cemetery. Gravesites, by surname, in the vicinity will be on the plot map.  Makes the gravesite very easy you find.  The Timaru District Council staff are very helpful and pleasant.  Map pdf map

Plot map example            Timaru Cemetery Plan       The lychgate at the Timaru Cemetery

Their very comprehensive databases are current, within a week, and as accurate as possible but there are mistakes e.g. Row D instead of Row G.  Funeral directors are responsible for completing a warrant within a certain time period with the details and forwarding that to the District Council Office. There is a clerk assigned to look after the records. The database is dynamically updated when plots are sold these days so some of the names in the database will be plot purchase records. There's bound to be at least a few unmarked ones missing from the early days. 

Any transcription work contains some kind of inaccuracy. A typo, a transcription error or a transposition error, could get you another month, another year, another row, another name, another gravesite or another goose chase.  Double check. 

Online & Lookups

Betts Funeral Notices online

Timaru District Council online database of burial records for the Arundel, Geraldine, Pareora West, Pleasant Point, Temuka and Timaru. Covers burials records not monument inscriptions. Any of the customer service officers can help with cemetery enquiries. 

NZSG South Canterbury Branch and the NZSG council has given approval for lookups from the monument inscription microfiche which was compiled by members prior to 1982.

Timaru's cemetery was set aside the land when Timaru was first surveyed and has developed into a very large cemetery consisting of  24,242 graves in the cemetery and 2,618 ashes plots, as of 7 April 2002, bearing in mind some graves have multiple burials in them. The first grave was Morris Clayton who was buried 16 October 1860.  Thomas Augustus Purnell was interred at Timaru Aug. 31 May 1861.  In 1863 the cemetery was fenced and the land cleared. A grave of historic importance for Timaru is that of Captain Henry Cain. There's a statue of Capt. Cain in front of the old landing services building, which now serves as the Timaru visitor information centre and a bar. He went to sea at age thirteen, owned a bar in California and arrived in New Zealand in 1851 aboard the schooner Pauline which he owned, settled in Timaru in 1857, in 1859 opened the first landing service, owned stores in Cain's Terrace, mayor and harbour pilot and was buried in the Timaru Cemetery in 1886 after being murdered by being poisoned. 

CARRINGTON, ISABELLA  Address RECORD = UNPURCHASED
Age at Death 15 Months Date of Interment Friday, 29 May 1863
Timaru Cemetery Section General Block F Plot 32   New Row 8 New Plot 32 Clergy Name FOSTER

Today the new lawn sections are not segregated for religion but in the past the cemetery was divided into sections. Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Anglican, Old, cremations and the veterans section is divided into two parts with one area, by flagpole and rose garden, lined with granite headstones.  The other section has brass plaques, set on concrete at ground level, which is where, returned soldiers are buried. Children's and stillborns sections are quite recent when compared with the old section. Apparently there's a green section that was used for burying stillborns up until the early 1980s or so that's unmarked. 

The old section.
A cemetery is a story better than a book. Making memorials is one way we can give someone some individuality. A flat grass marker does not cut it. There are two things for sure on earth - you have to pay your taxes and you are going to die.


Timaru Herald, 12 December 1882, Page 2
We observe in the Gazette, a proclamation under the Cemeteries Act 1882, purporting to appoint Frederick LeCren a Trustee of the Timaru Cemetery, "in the place of Arthur Ormsby, deceased." Mr Ormsby, we are happy to say, is still in robust health, and Mr LeCren's appointment to his place on the Cemetery Board, on the ground of his decease, there-fore, is, to say the least, a little premature. On enquiry, we learn that Mr Ormsby recently resigned the office in question, and we have no doubt that Mr LcCren's appointment is all in order, but for an error on the part of a clerk in Wellington. It occurs to us, nevertheless, that some legal difficulties may arise out of the fact of Mr Ormsby having been formally proclaimed " deceased." Has he any lawful right to be walking about and performing all the functions of a living man, and a lawyer into the bargain, after the Administrator of the Government has proclaimed his decease, and the Minister of Lands who ought to have known better, by the bye � has counter signed the proclamation .' We are inclined to think that until the proclamation is rescinded, and Mr Ormsby is officially resuscitated, he must be regarded merely as a highly respectable host.

Star 10 February 1905, Page 3
At a meeting of the Timaru Cemetery Board on Wednesday it was stated that 3127 burials had taken place in the Timaru cemetery, including 107 during 1904. Additional land has recently been purchased, the cemetery being nearly full.

Timaru Herald 12 Nov. 2002
Depending on the number of burials, it's estimated the cemetery can continue on the current site for 12 to 16 years, by using vacant land along Collins Street. Up to 500 burials could be accommodated at the eastern end of the cemetery, and about 600 ashes plots in the newly developed memorial garden. The average number of burials for 1990-2000 was 121 burials per year, and 64 ashes or stillborn interments. There also appeared to be a slightly increasing trend towards cremation. Statistics New Zealand had identified that the death rate will continue to increase and will remain high across New Zealand until the passing of the `baby boom' generation. Because of greater life expectancy it is not expected that death rates will reduce until around 2050 on average, but that could vary from locality to locality.

There is a concern for running out of space in about ten years from 2004.  The Timaru City Council is searching for an appropriate site. There's still quite a lot of green space there.  They've started making roundels for cremation and memorial plots recently, and some sections are getting a bit tight, but overall there's plenty of space for a few years yet. There's a restriction on the size of markers these days too probably due to the safety aspect and space allotment. Some headstones in the old section have fallen into disrepair.

Timaru Herald  Cemetery space fast running out
16 November 2006
There is very little life left in two South Canterbury cemeteries � literally. Burial space at both the Temuka and Timaru cemeteries is at a premium. Forecasts estimate the Timaru cemetery may have less than 10 years left to accommodate the burial needs of the district. Cr Pat Mulvey said there was "very little life left in the Temuka Cemetery". "It's getting smaller and smaller." A meeting had been held to look at a proposed site for the extension of the cemetery. "The conclusion was that the site was unsuitable and other options will be looked at." Money had been budgeted for extensions to the cemetery. Meanwhile, the search continues for a new Timaru cemetery site. In the 2005/06 budget the council allocated $15,000 to aid the search for an appropriate site. In the council's 2008/09 budget $500,000 has been allocated for a new cemetery. Apart from the Timaru and Temuka cemeteries there are three other cemeteries in the district � Pleasant Point, Geraldine and Arundel. The Pareora West cemetery is closed.

Timaru Herald  19 Nov. 2006
Proposed expansion of Temuka's cemetery to the north is unlikely because of the risk of pollution. A report has found discharge would pass through the shingle soils into the water table and the nearby Taumatakaha Stream. Any area chosen as a cemetery site will require a regional council (Environment Canterbury) resource consent to discharge contaminants, including formaldehyde, organic compounds, ammonical nitrogen, various anions and alkali earth metals to the earth. Over the last 15 years on average 118 people were buried and 65 left their ashes at the Timaru cemetery. In Temuka the ratio was 44 burials to 15 leaving ashes. South Canterbury Crematorium director said there were about 400 cremations a year in South Canterbury and most of these people's ashes remained in crematorium plots. Scattering ashes was not that common. A practical stage of the grief cycle it was good to visit a specific location where the deceased remained.

Museum Records

The NZSG Cemetery microfiche covers monument inscriptions. The South Canterbury Museum holds a paper records for most of the South Canterbury cemeteries with and a surname index to search across all of them but the NZSG South Canterbury Branch monument inscriptions records were created before 1982 by their members who spent many hours transcribing the stones and created the records to ensure that the inscription will never be lost through deterioration or vandalism but the council has changed the numbering scheme, so you first have to look up the site and then look up the reference in a translation chart. Going direct to the council gets you the current reference. The museum admission is free, both for entry and archive use, although donations are appreciated, and there's a $2 charge for using the NZSG files that are also housed in the archives there.  The museum also has a CD database of much the same material. The council probably has the same information. 

NZSG South Canterbury District Cemetery microfiche (Timaru listings only)
Cemetery # Fiche # Cemetery Dates Covered  No. of pages Description
11 293-4 Temuka 1858-1982 175 MI
12 294-6 Timaru Vol. 1 1860-1980 163 MI
13 296-7 Timaru Vol. 2 1890-1981 154 MI
14 298-9 Timaru Vol. 3 1933-1982 175 MI
15 299-300 Timaru Vol. 4a 1927-1981   43 MI RSA section
15 299-300 Timaru Vol. 4b 1958-1981   18 MI children's section
16 300-303 Salisbury Park Crematorium a.1964-1981
   54
 Wall of Remembrance
16 300-303 Salisbury Park  b. 1950-1981   92 Plaque inscriptions
16 300-303 Salisbury Park  c. 1967-1981 104 Cremation records

Before 1967 all local cremations in Timaru were transferred to Christchurch. Linwood Crematorium and Harewood Crematorium in Christchurch are now run by the same owners. There is a wall of remembrance at Linwood Crematorium. 

Betts Funeral Service  Only keeps a database on the people that it has conducted funerals/cremations for.

New Zealand Cemetery Records (NZSG) - District U
This section, on page 46 of the List of Holdings, comprises some miscellaneous transcriptions not particularly relating to cemeteries. For example, there are some births, deaths and marriages notices extracted from The Lyttelton Times in the 1860s; fatal accidents in the South Canterbury Alpine area 1914-1983. Many of the records are extractions from newspapers.

Timaru Cemetery -2010

Timaru Cemetery Tours - connecting the dots

Cemeteries were places of beauty, which revealed the architecture, art, religious symbolism and social history of the era in which they were created.

The South Canterbury Museum in 2003 printed a booklet Timaru Cemetery: Notable Nineteenth Century Characters with research and text by retired school teacher and local historian Alan McKenzie and the museum staff members. All the portrait photos in the booklet are from the museum collection. Alan guided the tour parties through the old section of the cemetery, telling some of the fascinating stories behind the monuments. Tours in the past were the first two weeks in March at 2pm and run on Sundays and Wednesdays. Bookings for the recently resurrected cemetery tours can be made by contacting the museum. The gold coin donation for the tours goes to the South Canterbury Museum Development Trust.  The 20-25 people, hour plus, tours continued in 2004, 2005 and 2006 with added tour programmes.
Timaru cemetery : notable nineteenth century characters / Alan McKenzie. 2003
Messages in Stone - Lynda Seaton, 2004, 32 pages
Timaru Cemetery -  Stories Beyond the Stones - Alan McKenzie, 2005, 24 pages
Timaru Cemetery - Monumental Tales - Alan McKenzie 2006
Timaru Cemetery - Passing Memories - Alan McKenzie 2007

The South Canterbury Genealogy Branch will be notified of upcoming tours, which will also be advertised at the appropriate time in the Timaru District Council Notice board, which appears on Saturdays in The Timaru Herald. The booklets, available from the museum for approx. $10, includes a map identifying the locations of the monuments can be used for a self-guided tour. 28 pages. 

Richard Turnbull's headstone, Timaru Cemetery, 15 Nov. 2009

Timaru Cemetery: Notable Nineteenth Century Characters - photos are on the Timaru Cemetery website
Dr Edward Butler (1834-1870)
Captain Henry Cain (1816-1886)
Captain Thomas Nicholson Clarkson (1836-1909)
James Craigie - native of Perthshire, Scotland (1851-1935)
Edward Elworthy (1836- 1899)
Bob Fitzsimmons (1819-1917)
Philip Javis Foster (c.1824-1899)
Thomas Webster Fyfe (1836-1926)
Samuel Hewlings (1819-1896)
Henry Le Cren (1828-1895)
Edwin Henry Lough (1833-1905)
Dr Patrick McIntyre (1846-1890)
Dr Duncan McLean (1840-1871)
Janet Meikle (1870-1906)
Captain Alexander Mills (1835-1882)
Strong Work Morrison (1833-1897)
Elizabeth Perry (1835-1890)
John Lishman Potter (1834-1931)
Joseph John Griffith Rowley (1864-1873)
Edward Percival Sealy (1864-1873)
Alfred Beaumont Smallwood (1846- (1869)
Edward Henry Tate (1829-1882)
Richard Turnbull (1826-1890)
Samuel Williams (1817-1883)

Richard Turnbull 1826-1890.
Richard Turnbull arrived in Timaru in 1864. He was elected to the Provincial Council, served as a member of the first Timaru Town Council and was later a member of Parliament. He built a large hall in Stafford Street, where in 1876 six hundred people attended a meeting which appointed a committee of 12 to investigate the building of a harbour breakwater. The hall was later rebuilt and converted to become the Theatre Royal. A son founded the firm DC Turnbull and Co., grain and shipping agents.
His headstone is under a tree near the entrance to the cemetery. Inscription: Erected by the friends of the late Richard Turnbull, M.H.R. for Timaru. To commemorate the many valuable public and private services rendered by him to South Canterbury and the country.
Born Jan. 17th 1826.
Died July 17th 1890.
From Timaru Cemetery, Notable Nineteenth Century Characters.

Hawera & Normanby Star, 30 October 1891, Page 2
Evening Post, 28 October 1891, Page 2
About 300 people witnessed the unveiling by the Premier of the memorial stone to the late Mr Richard Turnbull in Timaru cemetery on Wednesday. Major Steward and Messrs Hall - Jones and Rhodes, M.H.R., also spoke in eulogy of the departed. The Premier was introduced by Mr Ross, the mayor, who also gave a tribute of praise. The stone is a white marble obelisk, and was paid for by shilling subscriptions.

The Canberra Times Tuesday 27 October 1931
LAST OF EUREKA STOCKADE
SYDNEY, Monday. The last survivor of the famous battle of the Eureka Stockade, John Lishman Potter, died at Timaru, aged 98.

John L. Potter
Father of the above
July 25th 1834 - Oct. 24 1931
In his 98th year.
The Last survivor of the Eureka stockade fight of 1854.
"Peace perfect Peace"

Captain Henry Cain
Captain Henry Cain

Duncan McLean MD
Died 11th September 1871
Aged 32 years
Erected by a number of friends as a tribute of respect to his memory. (W. Torrence, mason)

Under a tree near the entrance of the Timaru Cemetery, to the left of Richard Turnbull's headstone.

Intriguing stories lay behind some of the headstones in the Timaru cemetery.  In 1906, Janet Meikle became the first of thousands of New Zealanders to do what? Die in a car crash, when her vehicle hit a bank near Timaru.

Grey River Argus, 28 February 1879, Page 2
Timaru, Feb. 26. The bodies of several apparently stillborn children have been found buried by stealth beneath the footpaths in the Cemetery. Inquiries are being made.

Walking around the cemetery you can spot places of origin or the ship they came out on.

In memory of William Couch, native of Cornwall England died 26th Oct. 1892 aged 78
William RICHARDS born at Penzance, Cornwall. Died Salisbury, May 16th 1933, aged 85 years.

From Timaru Cemetery MI transcripts:
"John COWLEY native of the Isle of Man d. 21st Feb, 1887 at 31, also Aggie SCRIMGEOUR d. Aug 21, 1895, at 16yrs."
It appears this headstone has been removed before 2004 from the cemetery plot since the transcript was done.

Why Anchors?

Grey River Argus, 12 March 1908, Page 2
A Sailor's Epitaph
In the churchyard of St. Andrew's, Hertford may be seen the following quaint epitaph over the grave of a sailor:

"Blow, Boreas, blow; let Neptune's billows roar;
Here lies a sailor safe stranded on the shore,
Though Neptune's waves have tossed him to and fro.
By God's decree he 'harbours here below ;
He now at anchor lies amid the fleet
Awaiting orders, Admiral Christ to meet."

Wanganui Herald, 8 September 1902, Page 3 DEATH OF OLD SEA CAPTAIN.
Timaru, September 8. Another old identity has just passed away here, in the person of Captain E. Raddon. The deceased was well-known as a seafaring man, and for many years was captain of the Whitehall, trading between the colonies and England. He has been living a retired life on a small farm at Kingsdown for some, years. He died of inflammation of the lung, aged 85.  Timaru Cemetery. Died Sept. 6th 1902, aged 85 years. Edwin Raddon "Safe Beyond the Harbour Bay"
 
Star 30 October 1882, Page 3
TIMARU, Oct. 30. Captain White, of Timaru, sailmaker, an old resident, died suddenly in the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day. He was seized with an apoplectic fit, and died before medical aid arrived.

Evening Post, 28 June 1888, Page 2
The Timaru Herald notes that some lambs made their appearance in the flocks of Captain Raddon, of Kingsdown, during the first week of June.

Captain Charles Stephen BASCAND, late harbourmaster of Timaru, who was so long and favorably known on the Coast as master of the s.s. Waipara and other steamers
Age at Death 52 (Years )
Date of Interment 01/Jul/1883
Timaru Cemetery
 Captain Charles Stephen BASCAND, Timaru cemetery

Captain Robert Hardie buried at Timaru

Grey River Argus, 6 November 1917, Page 2
TIMARU, November 5. Captain James Tait, who has been Harbourmaster at Timaru since 1909 and previously from 1897, was master of the Harbour Board's dredges, died on Sunday afternoon, following a paralytic stroke on Wednesday night, aged 60. He was a native of Shetlands and followed the sea all his life. He was a master in the Union Co.'s employ before taking a harbour appointment at Timaru. He was a kindly man and well liked by all. He leaves a widow, four sons and two daughters.

Messages in stone : a guide to the meanings of the symbols on headstones / author, Lynda Seaton ; editing/Layout, South Canterbury Museum. Personal Author : Seaton, Lynda M. Corporate Author : South Canterbury Museum (Timaru, N.Z.) Imprint : Timaru, N.Z.: South Canterbury Museum, 2004. Notes : At the head of cover title: Timaru Cemetery.

Understanding Headstones by L M Seaton

Timaru Cemetery : Stories beyond the Stones McKenzie, Alan. Imprint : Timaru, N.Z.: South Canterbury Museum, 2005.

The 2006 new tour Monumental Tales, looks at graves in the south-west section of the cemetery and includes visits to the grave of former Timaru mayor and auctioneer Moss Jonas; William Nichols, the boy who started the fire which wiped out much of central Timaru in 1868; James Dorgan, a police officer who was shot while on duty in Timaru and Mackenzie pioneer Andrew Burnett. The dead centre of town is proving a popular destination.

March 2004: Ms Lynda Seaton conducted Timaru cemetery tours focusing on 29 symbols. For instance, the rose was said to be one of the flowers of the Garden of Eden � the first paradise. It grew there without thorns, but after Adam and Eve's fall from grace the rose took on thorns to remind humankind of their sins. However, it retained its fragrant beauty to remind people of the joys of paradise. The roses on memorials, whether in a crown or on their own, are symbols of the paradise now enjoyed by the deceased and are portrayed thornless. The butterfly is another symbol found on 19th century graves. The butterfly, which lives, mates, and then dies in such a short time, symbolises the brevity of life. 

Near a shady wall a rose once grew
Budded and blossomed in God's free light.
Watered and fed, by morning dew
Shedding its sweetness day and night.

As it grew and blossomed fair and tall,
Slowly rising to loftier height,
It came to a crevice in the wall
Through which there shone a beam of light.

Onward it crept with added strength,
With never a thought of fear or pride;
It followed the light thro' the crevice length
And unfolded itself on the other side.

The light, the dew, the broadening view,
Were found the same as they were before;
And it lost itself in beauty anew,
Breathing its fragrance, more and more.

Shall claim of death cause us more to grieve?
And make our courage faint or fall?
Nay, let us faith and hope receive;
The rose still grows beyond the wall.

Scattering fragrance far and wide,
Just as it did in days of yore
Just as it did on the other side
Just as it will forevermore.
May your heart in its wisdom know love endures and life is everlasting.

A cemetery is a symbolic landscape - heaven on earth, the dead ask to be visited.

Entrance - A lot of history

The cemetery is bounded by Domain Ave in the north, Collins Street to the west and the railway line to the east with the entrance is on Domain Ave. This street runs between the Timaru Gardens and the cemetery with an avenue of trees on the boundary.  The cemetery has a small gully running through its centre with most of the graves located on the eastern side.  There are a number of unmarked graves in the gully by the hedge. There was a plan of the layout with rows well numbered near the office.  The Timaru City Council employs a contractor who carries out the interments, mows the grass, general tidying and maintenance duties and the council does the balance. 

Entrance into the Timaru Cemetery

Headstone Repairs - Feb. 2005

During 2002, The Timaru District Council was advised by a grounds maintenance contractor that a headstone had toppled onto a ride on mower unit. As a consequence, visits were made to the six cemeteries the Council administers and where possible, any unsafe monuments were placed on the ground. However, in the Timaru Cemetery alone, there were approximately 45 headstones that were in an unsafe state, but requiring mechanical lifting to fix. At this stage a review of a number of issues (including headstone deterioration) was undertaken by a Committee comprising councillors, community board members and council staff. One of the recommendations from the review was that $4,000 should be allocated from the Contingency Fund to make immediate structural repairs to the 45 headstones which were identified as being unstable. A donation of $3,000 was received from the South Canterbury Historical Society and the combined total of $7,000 was used to start the headstone reinstatement. A further amount of $7,000 was included in the Cemeteries budget during the last financial year. To date these modest funds have allowed us to use services from our three local monumental masons to work on approximately 350 headstones. The majority have been able to be reinstated to �as before�, but a small proportion which were significantly broken has been re-laid horizontal in a �jigsaw� configuration. These repairs have only been of a structural nature and do not include lettering or decoration repairs. With respect to headstone work, the rural cemeteries of Geraldine, Pleasant Point, Temuka, Arundel and Pareora West are practically complete. This year the focus will return to Timaru where there are a significant number of headstones requiring work. Sometime in the future, consideration will be given to the tidying of gravesite surrounds. At that stage local interest groups and service clubs may become involved to speed up the process. Whilst the headstones are the families� responsibility to maintain, a legal opinion sought by this Council suggests the headstones are a fixture, therefore defaulting in ownership to the Council. Rather than try the onerous task of contacting descendants and the delays involved, this Council has adopted a proactive stance and is progressing with headstone reinstatements. Hopefully this approach will eliminate any future need to remove broken pieces of headstones from their original sites. 
Neville Rawstorn, Parks Administration Officer, Timaru District Council,
Telephone 03 684 8199        Fax 03 684 2206          Email neviller@timdc.govt.nz

Timaru Cemetery 15 Nov. 2009
There are many broken headstones and trees that need to be trimmed at the Timaru Cemetery.

New Zealand Tablet, 14 May 1903, Page 15
Mr. S. McBride, Timaru, is a direct importer of marble and granite monuments from the best Italian and Scotch quarries. He has a large stock of the latest designs to select from at lowest prices.

If a cemetery is not used it will become a dead horse - six feet under.  Bring people into a cemetery and raise money for a cemetery.  An arts festival with a Wacky Grave Digger comedy skit or a Daffodil Sunday, Decoration Day, Memorial Day, Anzac Day, Veteran Day can draw people to a cemetery.  Some cemeteries have hundreds of visitors and they come to a cemetery to take pictures and hob knob with the rich, famous & dead. 

Timaru Cemetery - the lawn section looking back towards the Botanical Gardens and hospital.     
This section is called the 'Lawn Section'. 
Photos, double border, taken on a wet April 28, 2002. Courtesy of Han Freeke. 

Evening Post, 27 May 1875, Page 2
An attempt on the part of a prisoner to is thus described by the South Canterbury Times of Saturday : � On Friday last, 21st May, whilst the hard labor gang were at work in the triangular portion of the Timaru domain, on the left hand side of  the cemetery road, James Tucker, a prisoner who had been committed for trial on a charge of horse-stealing, escaped whilst one of the warders had his back turned, looking with another prisoner amongst the heavy grown weeds for plants. He was missed a few minutes afterwards, and the gang was knocked off their work, whilst the other warder in charge was sent with them back to the gaol. The head warder then went to the police and reported the escape. A party of the police then went in search for the runaway, and he was at about 4 p.m. found secreted in the house occupied by one Anderson, at Peeress town, by Sergeant Macdonald. He had hidden himself under a bed, and when discovered had changed his prison clothes for a suit of black, and the former were wrapped up in a bundle close to him.

Links

Monumental Inscriptions in Essex, England 
    Elizabeth and John PANTON � erected by their son Walter PANTON, Timaru, New Zealand, 1920
    Anne and Thomas WRIGHT; and son Charles died at Timaru, New Zealand, 1888
    Sir John HALL, KCMG, of Hororata, New Zealand, 1889 � restoring bells.

Otago Witness, 6 March 1875, Page 17
Mr Munro has just completed, at his Monumental Works, Moray place, a monument to be erected over the grave of the late Mr J. T. Wallace (station-holder, Mackenzie country), in the Timaru Cemetery. The monument is tomb-shaped. It is of Port Chalmers stone, fine-dressed, with a panel in each side of polished marble, and is surmounted by an anchor of marble, with polished bands. The design is very elegant.

North Otago Times, 26 February 1879, Page 2
TIMARU. February 25. The bodies of number of apparently still-born children have been found buried in the footpaths and graves in the Timaru cemetery, having been placed there by stealth daring the night time.

Wanganui Herald, 30 September 1886, Page 2
At present the Timaru Cemetery is under guard of the police day and night. Pleasant occupation at night for the police.
A few old cemetery monumental inscriptions Timaru & Waimate
Panoramic
Unsafe headstones

Cemeteries are microcosms of communities that created them.

South Canterbury NZGenWeb Project

Tuapeka Times, 1 June 1889, Page 6
A Dentist's Monument.
They have just put up an epitaph in one of the London cemeteries
which equals in pith and exactitude anything of the olden time.
Over the grave of a dentist there runs the lines :
"View this gravestone with all gravity,
J � is filling his last cavity."

Visit the gardens, war memorial and walkway while in the area.
M = War Memorial  H =hospital
The Timaru Cemetery is like those in Scotland, located on a high point overlooking the sea.

Lets continue to preserve.  Patiti Point coastal walkway along beach. There are basalt cliffs, sand dunes, shags , black backed gulls, swallows and native plants in the area and a view of Jack's Point.  A beautiful viewpoint but not a safe area for swimming. Near here moa bones and a moa-hunter necklace reel were found beneath an oven in 1941 so this site predates Maori habitation by 250 years.  The bones were found about 80cm below the surface but an updated survey in 2000 noted that the site was not able to be found again as the area of the small valley has since been redeveloped, part as an industrial plant and part as a small grassy area beside the road.  In the past the area has been a Maori encampment, whalers' lookout 1838-1845, and the grassy hollow where Bishop Selwyn held the first divine service in South Canterbury, a small village, Peeress Town, to house newly-arrived immigrants commenced in 1874.  It developed a reputation as a place of squalor and hardship and was quarantined off for some time due an outbreak of typhoid. "The immigrants had allowed offal and filth of all kinds, from their own houses and from their pigs, to flow down into the well in the gully. There were 24 families living there and the men reused to sink another well even though all the materials were supplied " wrote Johannes  C. Anderson in Jubilee History of South Canterbury. The town was razed in August 1883, all unoccupied cottages wee burnt and the other as they became untenanted and sowing the land with English grasses and finally demolished in 1888 but a number of bodies remain interred at that site.


Timaru District Walkways   10 walks

Patiti Point, 15 Nov. 2009, photo taken by me. I found a couple of paua shells on the shingle beach.