Three members of the Bloomfield family are buried next to each other in Purewa Cemetery after the tragic sinking of the ‘Empress of Ireland’ in Canada in 1914. Robert William Read Bloomfield aged 52, his wife Isabella Louise aged 46 and their daughter Hilda Isabella...
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. One of the many remarkable trailblazers is Arthur Guyon Purchas – doctor, surgeon, Anglican priest,...
For grieving families arranging the technical side of a funeral service, Adrienne Ramskill and Dave Wood are the friendly and reassuring face of Purewa. Adrienne and Dave are the Chapel Attendants who work closely with families, funeral directors, ministers and...
Purewa’s General Manager Alastair Crombie has been elected to the national committee of the New Zealand Cemeteries and Crematoria Collective (NZCCC). The collective recently held its two-yearly conference in Rotorua where representatives from the funeral...
Both chapels at Purewa Cemetery and Crematorium have just undergone an internal refurbishment. The airy, light interiors have been painted a crisp white and the floors recarpeted in new Axminster wool carpet in fresh forest tones. New curtains consist of coarse sheers...
The days of hand watering Purewa’s gardens during Summer water restrictions will soon be gone when the cemetery introduces a new environmental irrigation system in April. The project will collect rainwater from the chapel roof which will be gravity fed into piping to...