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Key facts
- Distance
- Not confirmed on the checked DOC page; see individual route sections
- Walking time
- 15 min | 30 min
- Track grade
- Easy
- Location
- Great Barrier Island/Aotea
- Dog access
- No dogs. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Checked against official sources on 8 October 2026. Rules and conditions are set by Department of Conservation — confirm with them before you go.
Route overview
Discover the grave sites of those who lost their lives on the SS Wairarapa at Whangapoua beach, Great Barrier Island.
This DOC directory entry covers Wairarapa Graves tracks in Auckland, within Great Barrier Island/Aotea. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.
Distance, time and grade
- Distance: Not confirmed on the checked DOC page; see individual route sections
- Walking time: 15 min | 30 min
- DOC grade: Easy
Access and alerts
Source checked 2026-10-08. This page is a dated snapshot, not a live track-status report. Check current DOC route information immediately before travelling. An absence of listed alerts does not establish that a route is open.
Dog access
No dogs. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Description
One of the worst shipwrecks in New Zealand's maritime history, about 140 people drowned when the SS Wairarapa hit rocks near Miners Head on 29 October 1894.
Most of the dead from the shipwreck were taken back to Auckland. But some remain buried on the island in two small cemeteries.
Tapuwai site/SS Wairarapa Graves Walkway
Time: 30 min one way
From the road end follow the signposts to the beach. Turn left and wander along this beautiful beach to Tapuwai Point and grave sites surrounded by picket fence.
Getting there: The Tapuwai graves can be found at the north end of Whangapoua beach. From the road end follow the signposts to the beach. Turn left and walk along the beach to Tapuwai Point and the grave sites surrounded by picket fence.
Onepoto site
Time: 15 min one way
From the end of Kawa Road follow the signpost to the beach and wander or boulder hop along the beach to the graves.
Getting there: The Onepoto grave site is located at the south end of Kawa Road in Katherine Bay. From the end of Kawa Rd follow the signpost to the beach and walk along the beach to the graves.
Nature and conservation
The white picket fences around the graves have been restored and maintained over the years both by DOC staff and the community to replicate the original posts, pickets and rails. Some of the original pickets and corner posts that were constructed in 1894 are still in place today.
Interpretative ‘headstones’ were erected beside the cemeteries in 1994 to commemorate the centenary of the wreck.
History and culture
These two grave sites – located in Onepoto and Tapuwai – serve as a reminder of the wreck of the SS Wairarapa.
The shipwreck
The SS Wairarapa was a first class steamer owned by the Union Steam Ship Company that carried both passengers and cargo between Australia and New Zealand.
On the 29th October 1894, the Wairarapa was sailing between Sydney and Auckland when it struck Miners Head, off Great Barrier Island. Of the 235 passengers and crew on board, it is thought that 130 people lost their lives, making this the third worst shipping disaster in New Zealand’s history.
Rescue was difficult because of the remote location of the shipwreck and the rough conditions. In the hours immediately after the wreck, two lifeboats rescued 50 people from the sea but other lifeboats were smashed by waves or rocks. Those survivors left on board either clung to the rigging or climbed to the ship's bridge. A steward swam to shore with a line and about 50 people were able to be hauled through the water to safety. The survivors huddled on the rocks for over 30 hours before being rescued by Ngati Rehua at Katherine Bay.
The grave sites
It is estimated that 60 unidentified bodies from the wreck were buried at Onepoto and Tapuwai Point while the others were transported for burial on the mainland. White picket fences enclosed both sites after the last of the victims were buried. Other burials located on Great Barrier Island are thought to have since been exhumed and transferred to the cemeteries at Onepoto and Tapuwai.
Ngati Rehua residents at Katherine Bay have a special relationship with the Onepoto grave site. As well as rescuing survivors and providing hospitality until they could be transported back to Auckland, they assisted in recovering the bodies of those who perished in the shipwreck.
Further reading
Locker-Lampson, S. and Francis, I. (1981) Eight minutes past Midnight: The wreck of the SS Wairarapa. Rowfant Books, Wellington.
Sources and reuse
Route descriptions and practical information reproduced from the Department of Conservation, Crown copyright, under CC BY 4.0, subject to DOC's copyright policy. Formatting has been adapted, including flattening page sections; follow the original DOC page for maps, section-specific layout, current notices and linked documents. Outdoor Next is independent and is not endorsed by DOC.
The accompanying photograph is a licensed general hiking illustration, not a photograph of this route.
