Bolton Street Cemetery

Wellington


Lost beneath a canopy of oak and pohutukawa, between freeway off-ramps and apartment towers, this fabulously dank and atmospheric remnant dates back to the 1840s. Thousands of Wellingtonians were buried here up until 1892. They rested in peace until 1972 when the Wellington Urban Motorway was bulldozed through the middle of the boneyard. The remains of 3693 people were exhumed then reinterred in a common vault at the bottom of the cemetery.


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