New eco burial area for Thames

A proposed new eco burial area with trees planted in commemoration of loved ones will be landscaped with the help of caring young students from Te Puru School.

The school children are assisting Thames-Coromandel District Council with a planting session at Totara Cemetery next Thursday September 11 as part of Conservation Week.

TCDC Parks Manager Derek Thompson says the intent is to create a native border to the new proposed eco-burial area in the cemetery and it will be planted using a variety of trees including Project Crimson pohutukawas with seed locally sourced by TCDC and a selection of other native trees that were seed-sourced and grown by children at Te Puru School.

“We’re still a while away from fully developing an eco burial area but we’ve already had a few enquiries about this type of burial option. This planting will ensure that a buffer of native trees divides the formal part of the cemetery from the proposed eco burial area in preparation for its opening in future years,” says Mr Thompson.

The concept is for groves of native trees including flax, manuka, pittosporum, puriri, coprosma, totara, whau and cabbage trees surrounding grassed areas for graves. Eco burials in other districts allow people to choose to plant a tree from a list of selected varieties and this is likely to be followed by TCDC.