My grandmother chose to have her ashes scattered in her favourite rose garden at the family home in Tawa. Which is fine, except the house got sold and the developer, not surprisingly, did not factor in the rose bushes in transforming this valuable real estate.
I've always had a sneaking fondness for the monument for Harry Holland, near the top entrance of the Bolton St Cemetery in Wellington. The Labour Party martyr has been given a bigger than life-size marble statue, depicting Holland as an extremely buff, naked dude gazing out over his beloved Wellington (albeit with grown trees blocking the view) while carved figures of men and women drape themselves at his feet, gazing upwards.
Now that's a monument.
In any case, whether you're contemplating the naked marble backside of Harry Holland, or reflecting on what the sea has cruelly claimed, it's good to have a spot when you can have a gentle think about who has passed on.
In the case of the Zuleika, the sea won, as it often did in those days. But when you visit a gravesite, and show respect, you claim a little bit back for them. I hope the South Wairarapa District Council will step up in their declaration to help maintain the memorial.
