17th Avenue Cemetery

The previous week we visited the graveyard that sits at the end of Seventeenth Avenue. Everyone got there by walking with a buddy and we gingerly entered the grassed area. I had been to two other cemeteries in my entire life and this place reminded me of a family member on Dad's side's Tangi. I can't remember how he was related because everyone just called him "Papa Richard." I think he was a great uncle.

We were there to gather statistics and I was surprised with how beautiful it was behind the small clearing of trees. There were graves set out in rows everywhere and some of the trees left behind bright trails of leaves, it was almost a scene from a movie. My favourite one was a one person, simple, concreted grave at the front where there lay a man who was a sailor with a quote that I can't remember.

I wanted to walk around more but the area I was working out statistics in consisted of the frontward clearing which was nice and serene. The aura of the cemetery was sorrowful as you would expect but I still kept my spirits in a high demeanor and still paid respect, making sure to tread lightly across the ground in case I accidentally stepped over people.

As we left we cleansed our hands with water to get rid of the tapu or spirituality of the cemetery.