(10% complete) Waikari was once the gateway to the West Coast of the South Island, particularly when the gold fields opened during the 1860’s. The small township lies on the Waiau branch of what was the Great Northern Railway, which ran inland and was later superceded by a more coastal route.

Waikari now lies at the end of a preserved portion of that branch of the railway along which heritage trains are now operated via the Weka Pass Railway.

Waikari is probably best known for being the home of the Corriedale sheep, bred in 1868 by James Little, New Zealand’s first distinct indigenous breed.

The Waikari cemetery services the Waikari urban and rural areas and the Scargill Valley. It is still in use today and the local council reports it is at 49% capacity. The views from the cemetery are spectacular, so valued must these views have been that the “front rows” with the best outlook contain the grandest headstones.

The local church in the township of Waikari is the Anglican Church of Ascension on Princes Street. Huruniu District Council have a searchable online cemetery database for Waikari.

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High-resolution photographs of the grave are available, plus one or two of the cemetery/church if applicable. This includes a full transcription, particularly for those stones that are hard to read or eroded.

Please consider a small donation to keep the site and the work going

Email me for gravestone images: moorfnz@gmail.com

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ALLAN, Alexander (d. 27th December, 1906).

ALLAN, J L/Cpl (d. 7th June, 1917). Age 30. Killed in action in France.

ALLAN, J A MacDonald Captain (d. 20th May, 1918). Royal Air Force. Died as a result of injuries sustained while flying at Redcar, Yorkshire, England. Age 23.

ALLAN, John (d.10th August, 1925). Age 81. Also his wife Jeanie, nee Forrester, d. 23rd May, 1941. Sheepfarmer, Park View Farm, Waikari. John Allan was born in Dumbartonshire, Scotland, in 1846, and received his education at Cumbernauld. Read more.

ALLAN, Margaret MacDonald (d. Dec 1953). Wife of Alexander Allan.

ALLAN, Mary Isabella (d. 2nd April, 1899). Age 12.

ALLAN, R B Pte. (d. 18th October, 1917). Age 21. Killed in action in France.

ANDREW, Elaine Ruth (d. 28th September, 1949). Infant age 5 weeks.

CLARK, Mary Ann (d. 4th December, 1898). Age 12. Died at Masons Flat. Daughter of John and Christina Clark.

DALZELL, Hazel (d. 22nd June, 1900). Age 1 year, 6 months.

DARROCH, Marion (d. 1796 – 1891). Also her son Robert (1844 – 1927) and his wife Grace (1854 – 1939) and their daughter Marion (1874 – 1896).

GARDNER, Thomas Nathaniel (d. 16th April, 1948). Also his wife Sara (d. 25th April, 1968).

GLASS, Benjamin Walter (d. 29th March, 1918). Age 63. Waikari cemetery records note he was a Marine Engineer/Farmer and a Scottish national.

HAMILTON, Andrew (d. 25th March, 1896). Son of William and Jean Hamilton. Drowned in Waikari Creek. Also Jean McCallum, wife of William, died 6th November, 1908. Also William Hamilton b. Lanarkshire 1843, d. Christchurch 1925.

HONEYBONE, Francis Ewen (d. 16th August, 1892). Age 18 months.

LITTLE, Janet (d. 20th June, 1890). Died at Allandale age 25 and 10 months. Eldest daughter of James and Mary Little. Also Mary Telfor Little, wife of James Little (1834 – 1921), who died 10th May, 1906, at Dalmeny.

LUCKIE, Mabel (d. 17th February, 1917). Age 30. Wife of James Luckie and daughter of H & M Dalzell.

MUELLER, Henrich Rudolph (d. 9th July, 1905). Age 68. From Germany. Husband of Maria.

PLUCK, Baby (Interred 1st January, 1938). Noted on cemetery record as “stillborn infant”.

RODGER, Charles (d. 15th May, 1904). Age 14.5 years. Son of the Reverend David and Maggie Rodger. Died from blood poisoning as a result of a harrow tine injury to his foot.