Cemeteries are proving a popular daytime attraction for families.
A new Auckland Council report shows one in eight visitors to Manukau Cemetery were there for "recreation". Out west, at Waikumete 11 per cent of visitors surveyed said they were there for recreation.
Monumental mason Eric Hill says bigger graveyards offer a chance to get away from urban hustle. "They're more like parks these days. There are a lot of trees and walkways."
Hill says west Auckland is running out of space to bury people. Apart from Glen Eden's ageing Waikumete, he says there are only a few small graveyards at Swanson and Oratia.
"There are big question marks over where [cemeteries] are going to be in the future," Hill says.
