Mission Cemetery

Est. 1838.  The northern end of the Te Papa peninsula was once the site of Ngāti Tapu’s Ōtamataha Pā. In 1828, a raid by Ngāti Maru from the Thames district led to the death of most of the inhabitants, and the abandonment of the pā. When the nearby Te Papa Mission Station was established in 1838, this tapu (sacred) area was chosen by the missionaries as a suitable place for a graveyard. The first burial was Ann Wilson in 1838. 

Map No. 17.
Marsh St,
Tauranga, 3110.

More on this story with images coming soon. Meanwhile read more here:

Tauranga Historical Society
Tauranga City Libraries
NZ History online