Weaving past ancient human remains isn’t what people expect on a trip up Coromandel’s State Highway 25.
By Jordan Smith of Local Democracy Reporting
It’s a real possibility, however, as approximately 10 graves from the historic Tararu Cemetery in Thames are “at risk” of slipping onto the road below, according to a Thames-Coromandel District Council report.
The report, published in December last year and presented to the Thames Community Board in August, highlighted how memorialised burial plots with “human remains” could “move downhill at velocity to the road below” if land movement occurred.
“Such a movement would sever SH25, possibly cause harm to passing motorists and result in significant reputational damage to TCDC,” the report added.
Opened in 1873, the cemetery has long been disused for burials but remains open to the public via a long winding staircase straight off SH25. Many if not all graves have suffered serious degradation due to a lack of maintenance.
Additionally, the Sexton’s Hut on site is rapidly deteriorating and is “evidenced to be frequented by drug users” according to the report.
'Total disaster'
Although there’s been no significant signs of instability since the last recorded incident in 2010, which destroyed the existing site access, Thames Community Board chair Adrian Catran said council has to act now to avoid a “total disaster”.
“It's prone to slipping in the past and it could happen again so we don't want to wait until that happens before we start to do something about it."
"It's a compound thing, not only with the deceased people's bones and caskets ending up on the road but of course it would close the road as well. That would be a major job to collect anything [or] anybody who came down... it'd be a huge cost and a huge emotional exercise.“
The report presented a plethora of land stabilising options based off its investigation, all coming at a different price.
Choices ranged from bank-stabilising soil nails and in-ground palisade walls to grave protection monitoring or even grave relocation. Respective costs are approximately $480,000, $285,000-$430,000, $5000-$15,000 annually and $114,000-$260,000.
Further installation of stormwater control and tree maintenance measures were also highlighted, as more than one option can make up the final solution.
The council will be seeking other parties to help fund the restoration but it’ll likely be without NZTA, which was quoted in the report saying the organisation wouldn’t supply funding or resources as the site “isn’t a priority”.
"Their [NZTA] road will be closed if that cemetery slips and the subsequent consequences of that would be removing the deceased people and the old caskets,“ Catran said.
"It's gonna cost a lot and and I'm not too sure who's going to pick up that tab. Whether it's going to be the Thames ward because cemeteries are a district-wide thing... Heritage New Zealand might have to come in and assist to preserve the cemetery."
The council’s next steps are for senior leadership to indicate a preferred option so funding can be sought, with Catran saying the issue is too important to be put off by looming amalgamation.
"We need to be proactive and start thinking about now what are we going to do.
- Local Democracy Reporting is local-body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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