Cremation services in Wellington
Most families choose cremation
Most Wellington families choose cremation. It gives you more time and more choice than people expect, and it doesn't mean going without a funeral.
You can hold a full service first, at our Willis Street chapel or anywhere that means something to your family. You can have a simple cremation with no service at all. Or something in between. We'll talk you through each one before you decide anything.
There's no rush on this. Call us any time, day or night, and we'll start wherever you need to start.
Choosing between cremation and burial
Neither is more respectful than the other. It comes down to what suits your family, and sometimes to faith or cultural practice.
Cremation returns the ashes to you, usually a couple of days afterwards. You can keep them, scatter them, or inter them in a cemetery. You don't have to decide any of that straight away.
Burial gives your family a place to visit. That matters to some families more than anything else, and it's the right reason to choose it.
One thing worth knowing: the service and the cremation are separate decisions. Whatever you choose, you can still have the funeral you want.
Your cremation options at Lychgate
| Option | What it is |
|---|---|
| A funeral or Memorial service, followed by Cremation | A full service, at our chapel, a church, a marae, or anywhere else. The cremation follows. |
| Dignified Cremation | No service. You have time to say goodbye at our Willis Street chapel, in your own time. Includes a pine casket. |
| Direct Cremation | No service. A private, unattended cremation. You can say goodbye at home before our team arrives. |
Every one of these includes the same professional care. The paperwork, the permits, the transfers, and the ashes returned to you. The difference is the service, not the standard.
What the cremation process involves
- You call us. Any hour. We'll ask a few questions and arrange to bring the person who died into our care.
- We meet. Usually the same day or the next. We call it the arrangement, and it's where we go through your options, the paperwork and the costs. Nothing is decided before you're ready.
- The service, if you're having one. At our chapel, or wherever you choose.
- The cremation. It happens at Karori Cemetery, at Akatarawa Cemetery, or at Whenua Tapu. Our affiliation with Akatarawa gives us additional flexibility when making the arrangements.
- The ashes come back to you. Usually a couple of days later.
Some families want to know the detail of the cremation itself, and others would rather not. If you do: the cremator holds one casket and one only. It reaches around 900°C, and takes two to five hours. You're welcome to be there, and some families choose to travel with the person who died to the crematorium.
Not sure where to start?
You do not need to have chosen anything before you call. We will listen, explain the options that may suit your family and guide you through each decision.
