Hauraki Plains Memorial Wall
History
There has in the past been a cemetery for the Plains community between Kaihere and Pā-te-tonga but this has not been used for a very long time.
The development of the Plains area itself initially occurred from the edges, with Pā-te-tonga and Kaihere being a long way from Tūrua and Kerepēhi. In those times the Plains 'fringe' communities looked to Thames, Morrinsville / Tahuna, Paeroa and Maramarua and the deceased were buried in the nearest. Māori are buried at a Urupā in Kerepēhi and at Tūrua.
In 1952 the Plains County Council entered into an arrangement with neighbouring Thames County Council to allow Plains residents to be buried in their Totara cemetery without having to incur out of district fees. Hauraki Plains County Council paid an annual contribution to the running costs. That arrangement continues today between the Hauraki District Council and the Thames Coromandel District Council.
In 2003 Council opened the Hauraki Plains Memorial Wall. This Wall is provided by Council to record the passing of Plains residents, as a visual memory to them. For many families, the Wall has become the only place on the Plains where there is a physical memorial to those passed.