Greytown Cemetery gates on cards

CHURNED UP: South Wairarapa District Council is annoyed about people damaging the Catholic section of Greytown Cemetery with their cars.PHOTO/ANDREW BONALLACK

Recent incidents of cars doing "donuts" on the grass at Greytown Cemetery have the South Wairarapa District Council contemplating putting up a gate.

Several occasions of cars performing the manoeuvre, where a vehicle is driven fast in a circle, has resulted in skid marks, tearing up the grass in the Catholic block of the cemetery, off State Highway 2.

There are gates already at the cemetery but their location is well past the Catholic block, which is closest to the road.

Council amenities manager Helen McNaught said the "wheelies in the grass" had occurred in late May and on June 25.

Rubbish had also been dumped at the cemetery last month.

She said, although there had been the occasional vandalism at Greytown Cemetery in the past, it was Featherston Cemetery that "takes the hammering".

"We've never managed to come up with enough evidence for the police to prosecute anyone.

"It has been pretty good there lately - touch wood!"

Council infrastructure and services manager Mark Allingham said he had worked around cemeteries for about 17 years and he had seen similar instances before.

"Cemeteries have been known to be the place for hooligans to hang out together, away from everyone else."

Fortunately no headstones at the Greytown Cemetery had been struck by the car.

"It's just circle work on the lawn."

Mr Allingham said the Martinborough and Featherston cemeteries both had gates around them, but gates that helped keep cars out also had a downside.

"If it's more secluded because it's got a fence around it it may encourage people to sneak in.

"Every now and then someone looks to knock a few [headstones] over or get drunk."

He said it would be good if vandals avoided vandalising "places people held in high reverence", such as cemeteries and memorials.

"Often people think vandalism is a victimless crime but they actually punish the entire community because every one bears the cost of it."

Mr Allingham found out about a car doing donuts at the Featherston Cemetery about six months ago, through an online video.

"It was actually through a Facebook video where they filmed themselves doing the donut.

"It seems to be quite common to film silliness and show it around mates."

The council was looking at pricing for gates, to be erected at the road entrance of Greytown Cemetery, that could be shut and locked at night.