The two main stops on the tour are the cemetery’s two national Monuments – the Tangiwai disaster and Prime Minister Peter Fraser. We will review what happened at Tangiwai and especially the bravery of the trains crew and in addition, what the court of inquiry found about the safety of the bridge. Peter Fraser is...
Come and hear stories of those who met sad, shocking and untimely ends. This tour traverses some of the older parts of the story where historic headstones mark the stories of lives lost too soon: accidents, murder, misadventure and those who fell by their own hand. This tour contains a number of adult themes and...
This tour outlines the development of Karori Cemetery since the first burial in August 1891, traversing the earliest burial areas which contain many interesting memorials and monuments. Each tour is $10 per person (plus non-refundable booking fee). Children under 12 are free. To purchase your ticket, please visit our ticketing website: https://events.humanitix.com/friends-of-karori-cemetery-introductory-tour-feb-2026 Our tour has...
On the 12 February 1909, the SS Penguin sank in Cook Strait in a raging southerly storm with the loss of 72 lives, one of the worst maritime disasters in NZ history. Many of those who died were woman and children, as their lifeboats capsized in the wild sea. Although the Captain was heavily criticised,...
Stretch your legs on this tour! Off the Beaten Track takes you off the main road, exploring a bit further into the older sections of Karori Cemetery. We walk up and down the hills, through the gullies and alongside the creek to discover some interesting characters and some of the history of the cemetery as...
In total, 85 people have been executed for crime in New Zealand with the first in 1842 and the last in 1957. Seventeen of those men were executed in Wellington and 11 are buried in Karori Cemetery. This walking tour will visit some of their graves to account their crimes, trials and convictions. It will also...
Would you like to join us and explore the beauty of Karori Cemetery in the evening? This tour is for anyone who would like to see the Cemetery through a...
During WW1 the National Women’s Reserve spent many months lobbying the government to have a dedicated portion of Karori Cemetery set aside as a National Memorial where those whose sons...
Come and hear tales from our military history. The Servicemens Cemetery was opened in 1916. It was the first and remains the largest such cemetery to be established in New...
Karori Cemetery is the final resting place for people whose lives ended tragically – from drowning, from murder, and from accidents of all kinds. This tour includes the story of...
Find out who is in and who is out of some of Karori cemetery’s most substantial dwellings. Note: tours do not enter vaults or try them out for size. The tour duration...
Would you like to join us and explore the beauty of Karori Cemetery in the evening? This tour is for anyone who would like to see the Cemetery through a...
