Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Thames Coast (NZ): Tapu Cemetery photos

Wonderful site that has cemetery photos from around the world. I did a search for a BARKER family member and the grave photo for Waikumete is available. These Photos are taken by volunteers all around the world, and you can also submit photos.

Great news for this area; special thanks to Caroline who has taken photos and indexed the TAPU CEMETERY, Thames Coast. There are 47 grave photos, with 109 names mentioned. "In the Tapu Cemetery, rest many of the early pioneers of the district, and on the headstones read the names of those whose descendants still live in the area. Many graves are unmarked. Apparently this place was always a Maori burial ground, and in the early days it was agreed between the local Maori and Europeans, that any residents could be buried in this sacred ground [this may indicate why the area is known as ‘Tapu’] generally in family plots."

The Tapu Cemetery page is accessed here - with a summary of surnames and details given.  Click on the far right column labelled GPR to view the headstone photo. You can then click another link to obtain a higher resolution photo.

Top: Earlier photo of Tapu
Bottom: Tapu Camping Ground on left and Tapu Point and Cemetery on the right
You will find information on the families buried at the Tapu Cemetery, at The Treasury, Thames. There are many relevant family trees, family pioneer forms and related material for the old families of that area. Plus some wonderful oral history recordings about life at Tapu, in the 1900s.