Wakapuaka Cemetery is a cemetery located in Brooklands, Nelson, New Zealand. "Wakapuaka" is Māori for "heaps of aka leaves".

Location

Wakapuaka Cemetery is located at the southern end of Atawhai Drive in Nelson. The cemetery is located on a hill with a north west aspect. Therefore, the cemetery looks over the Nelson Haven, the Boulder Bank, Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere, and Nelson city.

History
The area was first designated a cemetery zone on 18 November 1861. The first burial was conducted on the 9 December 1861. The first person buried was Grace Annie who was 16 months old. The crematorium was erected in 1945 and has been extended since this date. There is a small chapel, the Garin Memorial Chapel Dedicated to St. Michael also on this site. The Wakapuaka Cemetery now covers an area of 140,000 square metres. Over 16000 people have been buried in the cemetery. There are many notable people buried in this cemetery, including the victims of the Maungatapu murders. The cemetery is easily accessed and is currently a registered walk of Nelson.

Notable people

Notable people buried at Wakapuaka Cemetery include the following:
 Thomas Brunner (1821–1874), explorer of the Nelson and West Coast districts
 Arthur Collins (1832–1911), member of Parliament
 Joseph Dodson (1811–1890), first mayor of Nelson
 Charles Fell, (1844–1918), mayor of Nelson
 Adrian Hayter (1914–1990), soldier, sailor, Antarctic expedition leader and author
 James Hayter (1917–2006), flying ace of the Second World War
 Joseph Levien (1810–1876), second mayor of Nelson
 Richard Reeves (1836–1910), member of Parliament and the Legislative Council
 William Wells (1810–1893), member of Parliament

War graves
Buried in the cemetery are eight Commonwealth service personnel from World War I and 22 from World War II.  There is also a Commonwealth War Graves Commission plaque commemorating a cremated serviceman from the latter war.

Garin Memorial Chapel

The Garin Memorial Chapel is dedicated to the first Catholic priest who served in Nelson, Antoine Marie Garin. He served 48 years in New Zealand, and never returned to his home in France. The chapel was completed in October 1890. The chapel is  long and has a width of . The stone was sourced from Canterbury and Otago. Somerville designed the chapel. Father Garin is buried in the chapel's crypt.

References

External links
 Map of Wakapuaka Cemetery

Cemeteries in New Zealand
Nelson, New Zealand
Buildings and structures in Nelson, New Zealand
1861 establishments in New Zealand