above: drybread cemetery. photo by peter petchey
Blacks Cemetery
The Omakau Cemetery located at Deaker Street, Omakau is named after Blacks Gold Diggings. It is thought the first Cemetery was located on the property of an early run holder, Charles Black on Booth Road, Ophir. There is no record of the cemetery being moved from Booth Road to Omakau, as sadly burial records have been lost, along with some other Central Otago Cemeteries, to a fire in 1948.
Reading the inscriptions on the memorials would indicate that the Cemetery has been used since the 1870’s.
Moa Creek
Also known as the Ida Valley Cemetery, the Moa Creek cemetery is on Smalls Road in the Ida Valley. Access is across the paddock opposite the old Moa Creek hotel.
The cemetery is unusual, looking more like a Bronze Age burial mound. The reason the graves were laid out on the mounds is because the nearby Poolburn River was prone to flooding and this mound was the only high ground.
It is believed 30 people in all were buried here from the 1870’s to 1940, and only 16 marked graves remain today. Other graves of early Chinese miners are also thought to have existed here, however the early records were also lost to fire.
Dry Bread
Located at the Northern end of the Manuherikia Valley signposted off Glassford Road is the Drybread Cemetery. The cemetery contains graves of early Central Otago pioneers from 1870 and several unmarked graves of the early Chinese miners. It is thought some of the Chinese remains were exhumed and returned to their Home country as was their custom.
A research team from Otago University has recently (2020) found the remains of 12 unmarked burial sites. 10 Adults and 2 children – 6 were believed to be Chinese. It is hoped the research will continue in 2021.
Blackstone
Located on Hills Creek Road just off the main highway near the turnoff to St Bathans is Blackstone also known as Hills Creek. The first burial here was thought to be in 1864. The impressive gate to the cemetery is designed as a War Memorial.
St Bathans Catholic Cemetery
Following the discovery of gold at St Bathans in the 1860’s, early gold miners many of Irish descent, were buried in this delightful church graveyard set in the grounds of the St Patrick’s Catholic Church. The location of the Church and graveyard is at the top of Cross Street, off Loop Road.
Nearby is also the St Bathans Cemetery located at St Bathans Downs Road, on the outskirts of St Bathans.