Learn about natural burials at open day
The first natural burial area at Waikumete Cemetery in Auckland is complete and taking bodies.
Four people had been buried there, and 10 places of 300 had been sold, head sexton Sheree Stout said.
The idea of a natural burial was to have as little environmental impact as possible.
Native forest was cultivated on and around the bodies, which were buried shallower to decompose faster, with only 80cm of soil on top.
The bodies were also not embalmed, and clothes and adornments had to be biodegradable – as did the grave marker and the coffin.
Stout said families were given a GPS co-ordinate, which the cemetery also recorded.
A natural burial was a cheaper than a standard grave, at $3048 to buy a place and another $1108 for the burial fee, Stout said.
There were plans for a similar number of plots along the other side of the valley.
Stout said the cemetery had previously tried an ‘‘eco-burial’’ area, where 30 people were buried, but it had proved difficult to manage with families choosing trees that were not suited to the area.
The new area was instead arranged with koru-shaped paths and an expert’s master plan controlling the landscaping.
Families were invited to help with the planting though.
‘‘It’s getting away from that
‘‘It's getting away from that concept of regimental lines of people’’
Sheree Stout
concept of regimental lines of people,’’ Stout said.
The area was planted out as people were buried, so it was not possible to book an exact plot.
This was often a deal-breaker for those who wanted to be in the ground next to loved ones.
Stout said there was an increasing interest in natural burials, and people could ask questions at the cemetery’s open day on November 12, from 10am to 4pm.
The free day would also feature information about different burial practices, a tour of the crematorium and a grave digging demonstration.
There would also be talks and guided walks, including on war memorials, the Texas Tornado plane crash, wildflowers in the cemetery, the flu pandemic, and ‘‘the last of the hangings’’.
Go to the Waita¯kere Ranges Local Board’s Facebook page for the full programme.