Cemetery restoration will take time
Queenstown's cemeteries manager says no below-ground disturbance is visible at the cemetery hit by Thursday night's landslip.
Debris is lying across about a third of Queenstown Cemetery's surface in the north-east section and some headstones have been displaced.
Queenstown Lakes District Council's Parks, Cemeteries and Heritage officer, Tarsy Koentges, says it will take time to clear and restore.
"We realise people would like to see immediate action to clear the debris from the cemetery, but the ground is still saturated, and we need to let it drain further.
"Before clean-up works can begin, the site will need to be blessed.
“We need time for cultural observations and to plan restoration of the cemetery very carefully. We know this is really distressing and thank everyone for their patience.”
The cemetery has both historical and modern graves. The entire area was previously mapped in GIS, so the council has accurate records of burial sites.
QLDC is reaching out to affected families directly and Koentges says the council realises people might want to check the graves of loved ones.
"However, we ask people that people stay away, both for their own safety and to aid our restoration planning."
Fencing will be erected around the affected area and once that is up the rest of the cemetery will reopen.
Further updates will be provided when more information is known.
- If you are affected by this and have a question, contact the customer service team at services@qldc.govt.nz or by phone on 03 441 0499.
