Bolton Street Cemetery in central Wellington, New Zealand, is the city’s first burial ground, dating from 1840. It commemorates many early residents and some important historical figures from the 19th century. The Friends of Bolton Street Cemetery is a group of volunteers working closely with the Wellington City Council to preserve, protect and develop the heritage aspects of this lovely historic cemetery.

The Bolton Street Cemetery Museum, open from 10 am to 3 pm daily (see Location Map), contains exhibits and has a burial list of more than 9,300 people who were buried in the cemetery. Next to the Museum on Bolton Street is the Anglican Sexton’s Cottage (not open to the public) which is one of the oldest surviving residential buildings in Wellington.

The Friends of Bolton Street Cemetery is an active group of volunteers who help maintain the graves and assist in developing this heritage area. Members may be descendants of people buried here, they may live nearby – or they are just simply keen to support the conservation and protection of the Cemetery. See Join Us for more information about the Friends and to become a member.

FACEBOOK: On Facebook (Friends of Bolton Street Cemetery – Facebook) follow us and find entertaining stories, great photographs, information about our activities and heaps more!

GUIDED TOURS:

We offered several different tours of the cemetery this summer.  A firm favourite, Tiptoe Through the Tombstones, remains popular, but we also have a new tour: Hickety Pips and Others – Aspects of Military Matters in Colonial Wellington.

Tours can still be arranged on request for small groups during the winter months, but it’s best to wait until spring (and warmer weather) now.

Remember you can try a self-guided tour at any time.

See the detailed listings on our Events page and book on Eventfinda. 

 WORKING BEES: Do you enjoy seeing the cemetery looking well cared for? Come along to our working bees to help us keep it tidy! We welcome anyone who can volunteer an hour or two to join the team. We pick up rubbish, do some careful weeding and clean headstones – it’s not heavy work but very satisfying! If you’re interested and free on Sunday morning 1 March, please contact us.

Get in touch at friendsbolton@gmail.com for more information about any of our activities.

Bolton Street Cemetery is an excellent example of a colonial cemetery, using imported and local stone, iron and wood. Its iron memorials, wooden tablets, picket fences and wrought iron surrounds are particularly significant and comparatively rare in New Zealand. Known as Bolton Street Memorial Park from 1978 to 2014, it is a peaceful sanctuary of cultivated and forested open space. Over 1,300 carved and worn monuments line the various paths, many on sloping hillsides above the motorway. You will come across many heritage roses, some dating from the colonial era, inter-twined with other early plantings amongst picket fences and wrought iron surrounds. Walkways offer a unique stroll between the city centre and the formal Rose Garden of the Botanic Gardens. Memorial Trail pamphlets at each entrance enable visitors to learn about some of the notable people who are remembered within the Cemetery.

In the museum, there is also a ‘First World War Memorial Walk‘ leaflet offering a self-guided walk in search of the graves and headstones where family members named those servicemen (sons, nephews, grandsons, brothers) who died overseas in WWI or (in two cases) who returned from the war and later died in Wellington.

At Remembrance Day (11 November) and around ANZAC DAY, we invite you to download the map + leaflet by clicking on the left-hand panel for “First World War Memorial Walk”.

For more information about the Cemetery see History. For information about locating or maintaining gravestones, see Gravestones and for research on family names see Burial List.