Moa Creek Cemetery

Also known as the Ida Valley Cemetery, Moa Creek has to be one of the most unusual cemeteries in the country looking more like a Bronze Age burial mound than a modern cemetery. The reason why the graves were laid out on the mound is the fact that the nearby Poolburn River was prone to flooding and this mound was the only high ground.

Moa Creek Cemetery is located in the scenic Ida Valley on Smalls Road. Access to the cemetery is across the paddock opposite the old Moa Creek Hotel.

The earliest recorded burial was John Trenbirth in 1871. The last known burial is thought to be of a Chinese miner taken place in 1946. His body was later exhumed and returned to China. It is believed some 30 people in all were buried here, although only 16 graves remain marked today. Other graves of Chinese miners are also thought to have existed in this cemetery, but sadly cemetery records were lost in a fire in 1964.

Moa Creek Cemetery is administered by the Moa Creek Cemetery Trust and maintained by volunteers. All burials and records are managed by the Trust.

Contact

Jeff Sawers
Trust Chairman
Phone: (03) 445 0648 (work) or (03) 448 7923 (home)
Email: jeff.sawers@sbs.net.nz