Waimangaroa, a small village on the road between Westport and Karamea. I wondered, when Alexander had been killed in a mine in Coalbrookdale above Waimangaroa, why he was buried at the foot of the hill. A visit to Denniston and Coalbrookdale was enlightening - built literally on the side of a rock, there was no place for a graveyard. I also learnt that at that time the way to get the coffin down the hill was on board a railcar on the infamous Denniston incline - straight down. The time of day that a man was buried was also important, as the cemetery at Waimangaroa was subject to the tide. Bury a man at high tide, and the coffin would float in the grave.
Back to the cemetery
My Genealogy Gateway
Home
