The Arawhata Pioneer Cemetery can be found just after Neils Beach on the Haast Jackson Bay Road, heading towards Jackson Bay. The cemetery was created for those who came to Jackson Bay as part of the unsuccessful attempt to build a substantial settlement in the 1870s.
However, the cemetery has faced the same challenges as the early migrants, and the forest has reclaimed most of the graves, with only a few sites still obvious. A bittersweet reminder that while visually stunning, settling and living in Te Wāhipounamu has always been a serious challenge.
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