Symonds Street Cemetery

Symonds Street Cemetery is a historic cemetery and park in central Auckland, New Zealand. It is in 5.8 hectares of deciduous forest on the western slope of Grafton Gully, by the corner of Symonds Street and Karangahape Road, and is crossed by the Grafton Bridge. The street (and by extension the cemetery) are named for William Cornwallis Symonds, a British Army officer prominent in the early colonisation of New Zealand. It has a Historic Place - Category I listing with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Maintenance and administration of the cemetery is provided by the Auckland Council.HistorySymonds Street Cemetery was the first official cemetery in Auckland, in use from 1842. Originally it was divided into four sections for Anglicans, Catholics, Jews, and a shared Presbyterian, Wesleyan, and general section. By 1852, the shared section became Presbyterian, and an additional Wesleyan and general section was added.After the establishment of a new municipal cemetery in West Auckland at Waikumete, the Symonds Street Cemetery was closed for burials in 1886, other than to existing family plots. No new plots were sold. In 1909 the Auckland City Council took over management of the cemetery.