Maruia Cemetery

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Location Maruia Cemetery is a small cemetery located on State Highway 65 in the locality of Maruia, West Coast, New Zealand, around 700m from the border between the Buller and Tasman districts. Co-ordinates: -42.140505, 172.235731. The cemetery is signposted and located in a small grouping of trees in an area otherwise surrounded by farmland.

Maruia
Maruia means sheltered or shady in Māori. The Maruia River flows from the Southern Alps south-west, then gradually turns almost 180 degrees to flow north to join the Buller River near Murchison. A 7.3 earthquake 17 June 1929 in Murchison caused a landslide that diverted the course of the Maruia River westwards, forcing it to cut a new channel over an old river bank. The river eroded gravels below the bank and Maruia Falls, about a metre high, were created. A year later, the drop was 5 metres increasing to10 metres by the early 2000s.
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In June 1864 the Provincial Solicitor stated that the Government had no intention of establishing gold miners' rights in the Maruia District. ^[2] A very well defined auriferous leader had been discovered in late July 1873 by men driving a tunnel through at the Maruia claim, Lyell.^[3]

Maruia Declaration: Concerned about the proposed clear-felling of native timber, a group of forty conservationists signed a petition to save lowland forests around a campfire on the snow-covered banks of the Maruia River near Lewis Pass on 4 July 1975. When it was circulated around New Zealand the petition attracted over 340,000 signatures and became known as the 'Maruia Declaration'. Although not accepted by the government of the day, it eventually became a blueprint for the conservation of native forest.
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Graves at Maruia Cemetery.

Maruia Cemetery Burials
The first mention of the Maruia Cemetery in 'Papers Past' was in July 1913 when £5 that had been set aside some years previously for work on the cemetery, was paid as the work had been completed. ^[5] There are about 15 headstones. However, the exact amount of burials at the cemetery is unclear; online records are known to be incomplete. 'Find A Grave' has records for the 15 graves with headstones. No record of Maruia Cemetery was foundd on 'Billion Graves'.

The first funeral mentioned in 'Papers Past' was for John Thomson, born in about 1847 in Perth, who died suddenly from heart disease, age 66 years, 2 September 1913, at Warwick Junction and was buried in the Maruia Cemetery, Maruia, Buller District, West Coast, New Zealand. He left a wife and at least one son.

William Norriss born 20 December 1859 Wakefield, Tasman District, Tasman, New Zealand, a very old resident of maruia and farmer in the district, died in the Reefton Hospital 31 December 1935 (aged 76) after a lengthy illness. ^[6] William's wife, Alice Flower Norriss, born in1863 died 30 November 1940 (aged 76–77) and was buried with him. Their infant son Claude Angus Norriss, born 26 April 1901 died 1 Jun 1901 (aged 1 month) was buried in the Murchison Cemetery. Their daughter Monica Leila Norriss, born two years after Claude, 7 Jul 1903 lived until she was 93 years old and died 4 January 1997. She was buried in the Maruia Cemetery. They had two other sons, Douglas and Arthur.

William George Poutler's death notice was in the 'Grey River Argus' 28 August 1946 ^[7]Born 5 December 1876, William of Springs Junction Maruia died at age 70 years 26 August 1946. His wife, Katherine Mary Jane Taylor Poulter died 31 October1978 (aged 90) and was buried in the Foxhill Cemetery, Foxhill, Tasman District, Tasman, New Zealand. They had two sons.

Edith Lottie Moss Bailey was born in the City of London, Greater London, England in 1887. In 1911 she married George Paget Bailey. Their son was Eric Arthur George Bailey, born 16 June 1912 and died 22 October 1982 (aged 70). Edith died in November 1942 (aged 54–55).

The most recent record of burial in 'Find A Grave' is for Joan Leila (Norriss) Ealam born 19 August 1936 and died 24 July 2015 (aged 78). Her headstone states that she was a dearly loved wife and mother, but provides no names for her husband or children. Joan was born in New Zealand in 1936 and her mother was Monica Leila Norriss, daughter of the early settlers Alice Flower and William Norriss. ^[8]

Maruia Cemetery

Links

• Buller District Council cemetery database Note: Not all burials at Maruia Cemetery are recorded in the database.
• Maruia Cemetery on Find a Grave