Closed Cemeteries

Hamiltons Cemetery

Found on the lower slopes of the rugged Rock and Pillar Range and behind a striking stacked stone wall is Hamiltons Cemetery. Dating back to the 1870s and the gold rush, this Cemetery has one of the best views out over the expansive Maniototo Plains. It is certainly a great location for a final resting place.

Some of the original grave markers were made of wood, featuring painted or etched in inscriptions; unfortunately these were destroyed by fire back in the 1940s. However, many concrete and stone gravestones still exist today.

All the known burials are listed on a plaque and an information kiosk in the cemetery.

Hamiltons Cemetery is now closed and vested in Council. A 'Friends of Hamiltons Cemetery' exists and they continue take an interest in the ongoing upkeep of the cemetery.

Copies of records are also held at Council's main offices. They also can be viewed by contacting Heather Benson from the Friends of Hamilton Cemetery Group. Phone: (03) 444 9291.

Litany Street Cemetery, Cromwell

Founded in 1865, Litany Street is Cromwell's first cemetery before the establishment of Cromwell Cemetery.

Litany Street is the final resting place of many of Cromwell's early pioneers, including Chinese miners.

The cemetery contains many decorated gravestones of interest. Like many Central Otago cemeteries, unmarked pauper graves are known to exist in this cemetery.

An interpretation panel that lists all known persons interred on the site is a feature of this cemetery. This was an initiative of the Cromwell Lions Club who have made a point of taking an ongoing interest in this cemetery.

Litany Street Cemetery is now a closed cemetery administered and maintained by Council. It can be found on the corner of Litany and Ortive Streets in Cromwell.

Records are held at the Cromwell Service Centre.

Manuherikia Burial Site

Found near the confluence of the Manuherikia River and the Clutha Mata-au River at Alexandra and the entrance to the Roxburgh Gorge is a burial site known as the Manuherikia Cemetery (and by some locals as Graveyard Gully Cemetery.

This cemetery predates the 1868 start of the Alexandra Cemetery and is possibly one of the oldest European cemeteries in Central Otago. However it was only legally established in 1899, well after it ceased to be used.

Today, set behind a stacked stone wall, this small cemetery has a memorial at its heart commemorating those who lost their lives in the early part of the district's European history. No actual graves remain today.

Manuherikia Cemetery is thought to be the final resting place for some hardy miners who ventured out to claims in the rugged and unforgiving Roxburgh Gorge and the Old Women's Range and unfortunately met a tragic end.

Manuherikia Cemetery is administered by Council.