Archaeological Survey at Waireka Cemetery

The hunt is on for old graves and a church site at Waireka Cemetery.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) an archaeological survey will be done on the cemetery’s lower level to confirm the location of the former church and historic graves.

“We’ve previously had some ground radar work done, funded by adjacent landowner Len Jury, so we have some basic information about where these sites probably are. This archaeological survey will confirm it,” says Manager Parks Mark Bruhn.

The Council plans to develop the cemetery’s lower level so that more plots can become available.

“The development will be done carefully so that we don’t disturb the historic sites,” says Mr Bruhn.

“Tomorrow we’ll have a small digger to skim the earth off the top, then the archaeologist will investigate. We’ll then confirm the locations and permanently identify the sites on the District Plan.”

The next step will be to plan the cemetery’s development, then release the proposal for public comment.