Wakapuaka Cemetery

Wakapuaka Cemetery is a cemetery located in Brooklands, Nelson, New Zealand. The name means "heaps of aka leaves" in Māori.LocationWakapuaka 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, and Nelson city.HistoryThe 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 peopleNotable 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, first mayor of Nelson Charles Fell, (1844–1918), mayor of Nelson. Joseph Levien, second mayor of Nelson William Wells (1810–1893), Member of Parliament