As I wandered around, amazed at how much bigger the cemetery is than I realised from the road, I could see work has been done - leaves gone, trees trimmed, new plants in the beds along the front, some trees on the berm cut to stump level. This work has opened the cemetery up, let in light and made it safer to walk around, plus I now see the lamb atop a memorial every time I drive by.
On my second visit - Tuesday, more leaves were being removed.
I was surprised by how much higher the section by the old power station is, providing interesting framing across to the Tararuas.
Some headstones are gone. Some are broken, illegible or no longer upright; some are all three.
One just says "at rest", another "Mother". I'm fascinated by the eight-sided memorial to Catholic priests and sisters and then discover the chapel, built in 1894, is also an octagon. I read on an information board eight sides is a Christian symbol of rebirth and eternal life. I had no idea.
Given the cemetery was established in 1875, the language used on some of the headstones is strikingly different to today's vocabulary. "Of you charity pray for the repose of the soul of ... " caught my eye.
I would have loved to have met the woman whose headstone describes her as "unselfish, loving and true". "She lived for others, self-forgetting."
Changing fashions for baby names are evident - Florence, Walter, Ivy, Delia, Percy, Bertie and Williamina are not common today.
There's a great map at the main entrance of the cemetery and the Terrace End Cemetery Walk brochure is packed with information. I got my copy from level 2 of Central Library, but it's also available on the council's website.
It details some of the tough lives and tragic deaths of the city's early residents.
The cemetery contains about 10,000 remains. That's a lot of contributions to Palmerston North, a lot of descendants, memories and histories.
Have a visit. Just be prepared to be there longer than you expect as there's so much to absorb.
