Karori Cemetery is New Zealand's second largest burial ground, covering nearly 40 hectares. It was the final resting place of about 83,000 people. Today, it is a wealth of Wellington history and a peaceful place to visit. The cemetery was established in 1891 to replace the overcrowded Bolton Street Cemetery. The cemetery filled quickly and by the 1950s had nearly reached maximum capacity. Makara Cemetery became Wellington's principal cemetery in 1965. The only plots available now at Karori Cemetery are pre-purchased ash or family plots, and children's plots. Karori Cemetery's crematorium was New Zealand's first crematorium and is the oldest in Australasia, opening in 1909. It carries out about 450 cremations a year. Due to the condition of some of the memorials and monuments in the cemetery, children should be supervised at all times. You can search some cemetery records either online using our cemeteries search tool or in person at the Karori Cemetery office.