About Karori Cemetery

Contact details, opening hours, location and a brief history of New Zealand's second largest burial ground.

Opening hours

Karori Cemetery office

Monday to Friday: 9am–4pm
Saturday and Sunday: Closed

Main gate entrance

Daily open hours:
April to September: 7.30am–5.30pm
October to March: 7.30am–8.30pm

Seaforth Terrace entrance

Gate closes on Monday to Friday:
April to September: 5.30pm
October to March: 8.30pm

Upcoming services

See upcoming services at the Karori Cemetery chapels.

Cemetery records and plot maps

You can search cemetery records either online or in person in Karori Cemetery office:

Grave decorations and maintenance

Photos of key areas

Guides

Our Cemeteries Management Plan is based on recognising people’s different views and beliefs. Find out more in our guides:

Brief history

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.

Walks in Karori Cemetery

There are two heritage trails in Karori Cemetery:

Contact us

Address: 76 Old Karori Road, Karori
Phone: 04 476 6109
Email: cemeteries@wcc.govt.nz
Fax: 04 476 8242