Symonds Street Cemetery St Martins Lane Key Rose Trail Walkway Trail guide for the Jewish, Presbyterian and Catholic areas Informal route

Rose Trail 1 A 3 2 A Cemetery entrance 4 1 Feature in trail guide Known grave 23 Labelled tree/plant 24 5 6 Grafton Cycleway/ 22 25 walkway 8 7 9 10 Upper Queen Street ’s oldest public cemetery 11 H 12 This trail guide will show you many interesting parts of G 13 the Jewish, Presbyterian and Catholic sections of the . F Symonds Street You’ll uncover the stories of many interesting people who were buried here, as well as those of significant 15 14 21 specimen trees and old roses in this part of the cemetery, which is is also an important urban forest.. 16 To walk the trail will take about 30 minutes. Follow the 20 19 red markers. It is the most accessible part of Auckland’s oldest public cemetery. 18 17 I Most of this trail follows formed paths. Please do not walk across the graves. J There are two more self-guided trails on the other side So uth of Symonds Street. The Hobson Walk covers many ern M m important graves in the Anglican and General/Wesleyan a o e to r sectors. Bishop Selwyn’s Path and the Waiparuru Nature rw t a S y u Trail have more detail about Grafton Bridge and the r u r ecology of the forested gully. You can access more a p ai information on our mobile app (see back page). W

S o u th e Alex Evans St rn M Symonds Street o to rw a y St Martins Lane Karangahape Road

Influence meant the Anglicans got first choice and the Symonds Street biggest site. Presbyterians were initially dissatisfied with their allotment, saying it had the poorest views. The Catholic Cemetery once connected to St Benedict’s Church, now on the 1 A other side of the motorway. 3 2 4 Heritage and botanical discovery Information about the graves is found in this Trail Guide, with more in the STQRY app. Trees on this trail are identified by labels on the ground near their bases. There is also more 23 information on the ecology of the entire urban forest of the 24 5 cemetery in the STQRY app. 6 22 Early view of Auckland, showing the ridgeline that is now Symonds 25 Street. Mitford, John Guise, 1843. Alexander Turnbull Library, Ref: Old roses: living antiques 8 7 E-216-f-111. 9 The roses growing in profusion over the graves are heritage autumn, and sometimes forms bright orange rose hips. items too. Many are ‘old roses’– cultivars that went out of 10 What came before Upper Queen Street fashion. Old roses usually have more, smaller, and more open Blanc Double de Courbet grows to a bush up to 2.15m high, Grafton Bridge This cemetery is located at a cross roads of Māori trails inland flowers. Modern varieties usually have bigger, heavier blooms. and is recommended for colder climates. from the coastal fishing villages of Horotiu and Waipapa at 11 the bottom of Queen Street and Parnell Rise to nearby Pā Volunteers from the Symonds Street Cemetery Friends and 3 Italian cypress (Cupressus sempervirens ‘stricta’) the Heritage Roses Society workH together to maintain the (fortified villages) at Maungawhau-Mt Eden. The Newton 12 13 Gully is called Te Uru Karaka which had a tended orchard roses, and to prepare for a fine show in the summer.G If you’d Evergreen conifer, native to eastern Mediterranean region. of karaka trees, the fruit of which were a source of food and like to join in, contact them on their Facebook pages. These trees have long-standing spiritual associations.F This may medicine while the caterpillar found in the leaf litter was burnt Start the walk at entrance A, go into the Jewish section, be from their shape, and their scented wood, which wasSymonds used Street and combined with shark oil to produce the ink for moko keep to the right and walk to the old gate. in the doors of St Peter’s basilica in Rome. (Māori tattoo). 1415 21 1 Cork oak (Quercus suber) This part of the cemetery 16 Evergreen, from Portugal, Spain Different denominations (churches within the same religion) and western Mediterranean1920 have varying approaches to theology (the study of God and The main feature of cork oaks religion). Five cemeteries were laid out here, to allow space for 18 17 different religious communities’ burials. is their thick, soft bark, which is I the source for wine corks. The They were for Anglican, Catholic, Jewish, Presbyterian, and insulating bark is an adaptation General (including Wesleyan/Methodist) burials. The open to forest fire. J space at the corner of Symonds Street and Karangahape Road, S out around the large bronze sculpture is unofficially known as Cork oaks canh beer tall trees, up to 20m, but are usuallyn shorter m Pigeon Park. It was part of the area originally allocated for M a o e in their natural habitat. to r Jewish burials, but this was never used as a cemetery. rw t Bark of the cork oak. a Rosa Blanc Double de Coubert. Italian Cypress. S y u r u r Who you were, counted a 2 Rosa Blanc Double de Coubert Cypresses are symbols of mourning in many religions – ip Nineteenth century society in was structured a Christian, Jewish, Muslim – and are a feature of cemeteries W along denominational lines. What church you belonged to had Also known as The Muslin Rose, this variety was planted in around the world. They are resistant to fire. a major influence on your status, your connections, and your 2005 in the cemetery, by Heritage Roses Society members. It’s opportunities. That’s why this cemetery was so clearly divided a rugusa rose, bred by Charles Cochet in France in 1892. The Nathans’ inclined slab tombs, in an eastern into denominational areas. They reflected the ratio of people The flowers are white clusters of petals with a strong Mediterranean style, are in a fenced plot in the Jewish sector. of different churches in Auckland at the time. fragrance, which open out into flat blooms during summer and

S o u th e Alex Evans St rn M Symonds Street o to rw a y St Martins Lane Karangahape Road

Symonds Street

1 A 3 2 The Hendersons, with Catherine’s brothers John and Henry 4 5 Kauri (Agathus australis) Macfarlane immediately went to Auckland, arriving before the Evergreen conifer, endemic to first European-style houses had even been built. New Zealand. Henderson built the Commercial Hotel at a cost of $2000. 23 The biggest trees in New He employed about 300 Māori in gum digging. He developed Zealand forests, though not the 24 5 New Zealand’s first commercial sailing ship fleet, the Circular tallest. They evolved massive 6 Saw Line, and also traded in copra from the Pacific Islands. trunks, without lower branches. 22 25 Henderson sold off the sailing ships Constance, Kate and Neva, This species is unique to the and bought the 500 ton steamships Lord Ashley, Airdale and 8 7 upper North Island. 9 Haversham. 10 Kauri timber is highly valued Henderson also helped establish the Bank of New Zealand, the Upper Queen Street for boatbuilding and furniture- New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, the New making.Grafton Gum that Bridge seeps from Male kauri cone. Zealand Insurance Company and the Auckland Gas Company. 4 Nathan family plot the tree trunks was used as an The Auckland suburb of Henderson bears his name. 11 ingredient in making varnish. Excessive weeping of gum shows H David Nathan landed in an unhealthy tree. Thomas and Catherine Henderson are buried side-by-side in 12 G Kororareka13 in the Bay of Islands the Presbyterian section. Their headstone in an architectural on February 21, 1840. He had The trees are are threatened by kauri dieback disease, a soil- form symbolically represents the house of God in miniature. sailed fromF Sydney on January borne pathogen which causes tree death. You can help stop 31 on the barque AchillesSymonds Streetand the disease spreading by cleaning your shoes before and after Carefully cross the cemetery towards the diagonal path. arrived just two weeks after the being near kauri trees. 1415 signing of the historic Treaty of 8 Rosa William Lobb 21 Waitangi. 6 Liquidambar (Liquidambar Also known as Duchesse d’Istrie 16 styraciflua) Nathan set up a store on the and Old Velvet Moss, this rose 1920 waterfront at Kororareka Deciduous, native to SE USA variety is widely grown in New (Russell), stocked with goods and Mexico, with a vibrant Zealand. It was bred in 1855 by he had brought from England. Jean Laffay, and named after 18 17 David Nathan, 1861. John display of red autumn leaves. I When it became clear that the William Lobb, a Cornish plant Schmidt, Alexander Turnbull Their distinctive spiky fruit have Library, Ref: 1/2-004975-G. capital would be transferred to collector, who introduced to Auckland, he shifted too. many nicknames: burr balls, England the monkey-puzzle J gum balls, space bugs, monkey tree from Chile and the massive S By August 1841 Nathan had built a wooden store on the balls, bommyknockers, sticker out sequoia from North America. her corner of Shortland Crescent and High Street. Trade prospered, balls, or goblin bombs. n m Flowers are a mauve or purple M and by 1853 he had built a brick store and warehouse. He a o e Liquid amber fruit. Rosa William Lobb. to was granted an auctioneer’s licence in 1842 and acted as r blend displaying the centres of rw 7 Thomas and Catherine t a S y a shipping agent, obtaining the agency of the Shaw Savill u golden yellow stamens. Strong Henderson r u Shipping Company in 1858. He owned several small trading r fragrance. Large, very full (up a vessels and became a substantial property owner in the city. Blacksmith makes good: p to 50 petals) old-fashioned, ai Thomas Henderson was W quartered bloom form. His marriage in 1841 to Rosetta Aarons was the first formal born in Dundee, Scotland, Jewish ceremony held in New Zealand. One of their sons, in 1810. He and his wife Laurence David, became an equal partner in LD Nathan 9 Red horse chestnut Catherine answered the call for (Aesculus x carnea) & Company – which went on to become one of the most tradesmen to emigrate to New successful businesses in New Zealand. After Rosetta’s death in Zealand. They left Gravesend Deciduous, native to Greece, 1864, Nathan married Edith Barrow Montefiore in 1871. They on the barque London in 1840, but found throughout Europe. had no children. The chestnuts – also called S and arrived in Wellington on Head back out of the Jewish cemetery,o turn right, then left 15 December. Their infant son ‘conkers’ – are used in a u children’s game. They are toxic along the rock wall, into the Presbyterianth section. George died on the voyage. e The monument for Thomas and and cannot be eaten. Alex Evans St rn M Catherine Henderson. Symonds Street o to rw a y St Martins Lane Karangahape Road

Symonds Street

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23 24 5 6 22 25 8 7 9 10 Isabella Watson 10 Upper Queen Street Isabella Watson was only four Grafton Bridge years old when she died in 1870, probably from one of the 11 infectious diseases of the time H 12 – cholera, diphtheria, influenza, G 13 or measles. F The headstone is remarkable in Symonds Street the Symonds Street Cemetery, being the only one remaining 15 14 that is topped by a realistic 21 statue, which is obviously a 16 Isabella Watson. portrait of the child Isa – not a Rosa Anais Ségalas. Kōwhai. generic angel. 1920 Turn left along the paved path. Flowers are a rich deep mauve-pink in colour, paling towards His company, Archibald Clark and Sons, made clothing and 18 17 the edges. Strong fragrance. They are a flattish cushion form, was a wholesaler. At one stageI they had 500 employees. about 4cm across and arranged in clusters. 11 Elizabeth Knox Clark is thought to have been New Zealand’s first token issuer Elizabeth Knox died in 1908. A free-flowering, healthy rose that does wellJ in poor soil, and is in 1857. The tokens were issued because of a shortage of small She and her husband Charles good as a pot plant. So coins. They would not have been universally accepted (like real (who died in 1871) gained a ut money), but would have functioned more like the retail loyalty Head up towards entrance F on Symondsher Street. reputation as philanthropists, n points schemes we know today. m M a o e who generously assisted fellow to r rw Clark’s son, James McCosh Clark, was Mayor of Auckland in t 13 Kōwhai (Sophora micophylla) a S settlers. They came from y u the 1870s. He erected a tall gothic monument to his father in r Northern Ireland in the 1840s. u Semi-evergreen (loses its leaves for a short time each year), r the south-east corner of the Presbyterian sector. a They are buried beneath a large endemic to New Zealand. ip Directly behind Archibald Clark’s grave stand some young a obelisk of Scottish granite in W Kōwhai trees flower early in the spring. Tūī enjoy the nectar karaka trees. the Presbyterian sector. In her from the flowers and kererū eat the young leaves. will, Elizabeth left £91,500 of (Corynocarpus laevigatus) which £44,000 was earmarked Elizabeth Knox, philanthropist. Kōwhai became one of the first New Zealand trees shown in 15 Karaka English plant catalogues as early as 1783. for various charities including Sir George Grey Special Evergreen, endemic to New Zealand. Many karaka trees have the Sailors Home, the Veteran’s Collections, , self-seeded in the cemetery. Home and others. The Press AWNS-19081029-14-1. Turn right by entrance F, just before the wall, to reach the The gullies to the north of SymondsS Street Cemetery were newspaper 22 October 1908 next interesting grave. o had a headline: “Munificent bequests to charity.” known as a significant karaka groveu by Māori. th 14 Archibald Clark Karakae were one of the few Money was also stipulated for a Home for Incurables and a r Night Shelter for the Homeless to be set up. The Elizabeth Alex Evans St trees thatn were cultivated by Archibald Clark (1805 – 17 M Knox Home for the Elderly is still in existence. Symonds Street Māori. The kernels of the fruit October 1875) was a 19th- were an importanto food source century Member of Parliament to Opposite the path is one of the heritage roses. – but they had tor be carefully for Auckland East, then Franklin w prepared by soakinga in running in the Auckland Region, New water, and days of cooking,y 12 Rosa Anais Segalas Zealand. He was the first Mayor to remove poison. The orange A widely-grown rose in New Zealand. The breeder of this of Auckland in 1851. fruit are a food for kererū New rose could be either Jean-Pierre Vibert France or Parmentier Archibald Clark, first mayor of Zealand pigeons. Belgium. The variety was released in 1837. Named after Auckland, c1875. Sir George Ségalas, Anais (1814–1895) a popular French poet, novelist Grey Special Collections, and playwright. Auckland Libraries, 7-A5070. Karaka fruit – food for kererū. St Martins Lane Karangahape Road

Symonds Street

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23 24 5 6 22 25 8 7 9 10 Upper Queen Street Grafton Bridge 11 H 16 English oak groves (Quercus robur) 12 20 Constable Naughton G 13 Deciduous trees from Europe, oaks can grow very quickly in Constable Naughton is one of F New Zealand conditions – but these in the Symonds Street Symonds Street those characters who crops Cemetery haven’t done so. This is perhaps because of the poor up in many searches through soils (for them) in this location. historical newspapers – mostly 15 14 because of his career as a very Oaks produce very hard and durable timber, but it can take 21 busy policeman. Sadly, this over 100 years for the trees to be ready for harvesting. 16 work finally got to him. Go downhill through the oak grove, then make your way up 20 19 Newspaper headlines read the hill through the cemetery to the Catholic Memorial. as a case file of Constable 18 17 Naughton’s work load: A Dead 17 Catholic Cemetery decimated I Body Found Floating in the The Catholic Cemetery once extended right up to St Constable Naughton’s Harbour; The Maori Robber Benedict’s – the red brick Church you can see across the to Jacknowledge the numbers of Irish people named in the headstone is next to that of at Helensville; The Wreck motorway. The brick church was built in 1888, to replace So Catholic Memorial. Patrick Dignan. Near Kaipara; A Young Lady ut Stabbed by a Lover; A Peculiar an impressive wooden church that had burned down in herThere is a line of headstones salvaged from the motorway n Accident at Helensville (in which his own wife was blown into m 1886. Lack of funds meant the new church was not properly construction,M set flat in the lawn here. a o e to a creek, and he couldn’t help her when he got stuck in mud); r rw t a Oddfellows Demonstration at Helensville; The Fatal Fire (more S y u 19 Patrick Dignan r details on the app). u r a One of the earliest settlers, p This last incident, in which he pulled the dead body of thea i Dignan was an Irish Catholic cook from a fire at the hotel, proved too much for him.W Mental who became prominent in unease manifested itself in a mania for money. Soon after, he Auckland. He married Mary was committed to the Whau Lunatic Asylum. He died in May Derron at the Auckland 1884. Catholic Church on 25 July 1846. They had 13 sons and Angle downwards to the western side of the cemetery and one daughter, a house in entrance G. Wyndham Street, and a 121ha S o 21 Tōtara (Podocarpus totara) farm at Point Chevalier, with a u large ‘summer house.’ th Evergreen, endemic to New e r Zealand. The wooden St Benedict’s Church in the 1880s. Sir GeorgeAlex Grey Evans StPatrick Dignan’s headstone is Dignan turned to the n Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-995. hospitality trade in 1849, M on the ground near the Catholic Symonds Street Māori also knew tōtara as rākau buying the Clanricarde Hotel o rangitira – ‘chiefly trees.’ This is completed until 1955. When the motorways were built Memorial. t in Albert Street. He was on the o because the timber has always through these gullies in the mid 1960s, large parts of the r committee responsible for building St Patrick’s Cathedral. Irish w been prized as the best for Catholic (and Anglican) sections of the Symonds Street a and Catholic functions were often held at ‘Dignan’s Paddock’ y building large waka (canoes), or Cemetery were removed and the connection with the church in Wyndham Street. He part-owned the New Zealand carvings of ancestors at marae was lost. Exhumed remains were re-interred under memorials Freeman’s Journal; and was on the board of St Peter’s School. (Māori meeting houses). now within the Anglican and Catholic sections. More than 2,000 Catholic graves were disturbed in this way. There were In his political career he supported Māori representation in Sheets of the inner bark were more graves uncovered which had no headstone or record of parliament because they were “natural owners of the soil” and ingeniously folded, like origami, Tōtara fruit. burial – so the numbers of disturbed remains is higher than the had “a right to full share of the liberties which we claim for to make water containers or names on the memorial. ourselves in this country.” splints for broken limbs. Dignan died at New Plymouth, on board the Takapuna, bound Make your way along the western edge of the cemetery, 18 Rosa Irish Eelegance for Auckland in 1894. Mary died ten years later. Their Point past entrance G. Planted here by members of the Heritage Roses Society, Chevalier land was subdivided in 1911. St Martins Lane Karangahape Road

Symonds Street the twin daughters of Philippe d’Orléans and his wife, Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon. Flowers are in creamy white clusters with pink buds, delicate 1 A 3 2 primrose scent. Some purplish flecks on the reverse edges. Medium, very full (more than 41 petals), cluster-flowered 4 bloom form. They bloom once in spring or summer.

25 Rosa Charles de Mills 23 The distinctive mauve or mauve 24 5 blend flowers of Charles de 6 Mills are easy to identify. This 22 25 Gallica variety was developed 8 The 7granite monument of the Softening of marble carved by an unknown Dutch breeder 9 Leys family (20) shows very edges is partly caused by before 1786. little decay. air pollution. 10 The rose was probably named Upper Queen Street after a Charles Mills who was Turn right just before you reach the Jewish cemetery area. Grafton Bridge a Director of the East India 11 Company, elected 1785. 23 Harder, better, dearer H The strong fragrant flowers are 12 Rosa Charles de Mills. G 13 Some granite headstones look much newer than their dates large and lightly cup-shaped suggest. This is because polished granite is the hardest, most and filled with a multitude of imperviousF stone material for outdoor memorials. On the small petals. Measure ofSymonds Hardness Street Scale (MOHS), where diamonds are rated 10, natural granite is between 6 and 7. 22 James Strange Symonds Street Cemetery 1415 Organization Story 21 Meiklejohn Although marble was commonly used in 19th century Captain James16 Strange headstones, it has a MOHS rating of only 3. It was used More stories Mucklejohn (changed to because it was easier to cut, polish and carve. Salt in the air 1920 Meiklejohn), his wife Catherine and pollution decompose the calcite structure in marble, so it Our free mobile app (on the and sons James, John, Sandy, erodes more quickly than granite. STQRY platform) has many 18 17 William, Robert, Lemuel, and Most of the headstones, monuments and cast-iron railings more fascinating stories about I Septimus, arrived in New for grave surrounds were imported. These heavy items made graves of interesting people, and Zealand in 1858. They came useful ballast for sailing ships on voyages from Great Britain. social, historic and ecological J aboard the brigantine Union, themes. Scan this QR code to S which they built at Prince There are a few more heritage roses along the formed path. out download. her Edward Island, Nova Scotia, n and sailed the world for two 24 Rosa Adelaide m M a More trails o e The sandstoneto headstone of years before settling in New d’Orleans r rw t James Strange Meiklejohn.a S There are two more trail guides for Symonds Street y Zealand in 1858. u This Hybrid Sempervirens rose r Please don't remove 'Get the STQRY' from this QR Code u Cemetery. You can download these guides at r The Meiklejohns established was bred by Monsieur Jacques, a p aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or from the app. a busy shipyard at Whangateau Harbour, near Matakana, in 1826. He was head gardener ai and built the first sailing scows that had a great influence on to Duc d’Orleans, who later W coastal shipping around the North Island. became the King of France. Grave database Captain Meiklejohn is buried in the Presbyterian section at the This rose is named after Detailed information about the location and names of Symonds Street Cemetery, while many of his descendants are Louise Marie Adélaïde Eugénie the people interred in this cemetery can be found in the laid to rest at Matakana and Whangateau. His gravestone has d’Orléans (1777–1847) one of Digital Library on the Auckland Libraries website a weeping willow, a symbol for sorrow. Rosa Adelaide d’Orleans. S o u th e Alex Evans St rn M Symonds Street o to rw a y