Alexis Brook

Purewa Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 55,000 men, women and children. Among them are some of the early pioneers of Auckland and the nation.

For grieving families arranging the technical side of a funeral service, Adrienne Ramskill and Dave Wood are the friendly and reassuring face of Purewa.

Purewa’s General Manager Alastair Crombie has been elected to the national committee of the New Zealand Cemeteries and Crematoria Collective (NZCCC).

This memorial, which holds 109 bronze plaques, has developed structural and drainage problems.

Due to popular demand a new columbarium will be open in the new year at Purewa.

One man has been quietly cleaning and restoring old headstones at Purewa Cemetery for the past year.

Have you ever wondered how finger printing to convict criminals and the armed offenders squad became established in New Zealand?

Birdsong is returning to Purewa Cemetery thanks to a joint initiative with the Eastern Bays Birdsong Project.

With the recent completion of four new kidney-shaped gardens and one central round garden, Purewa Cemetery and Crematorium, has added to the existing 16 kidney gardens which are now fully subscribed.

Purewa is getting a floral makeover in the oldest parts of the 131-year-old cemetery thanks to Meadowbank resident Miriama Toms.

Miriama’s 16-year-old son Felix died last year of sudden unexpected death due to epilepsy, and is buried in E block, one of the older parts of the cemetery where many graves sites and headstones have fallen into disrepair because there are no family members to look after them.

The second stage of Purewa’s popular Walk of Memories for ash interments has been completed.

The 250-metre-long extension provides 670 new plots for families to purchase in a tranquil garden-lined setting.

More than 75 people attended Purewa Cemetery’s first Auckland Heritage Festival tours last month.

The tours were part of the festival which is organised by the Auckland Council annually across the city celebrating various aspects of heritage. The theme for this year’s event was Journeys – the stories of how our people travelled to Tamaki Makaurau by sea, air or land, to create a shared future together.