Kereru

Coffins



Sustainably produced, biodegradable coffins

Covered cardboard coffin

Blessing

Death immortal as time is brisk
'Tis an end that never ends
To live is to die, it's not a risk,
'Tis a fate that never bends.

The soul carries on through
many years
From then until forever more
Leaving in its path a wake of tears
But allows the heart to soar.

There is no magic potion
Be it brewed by moon or sun
To heal the grief and emotion
Of a life stopped as it began.

But the love that remains in our hearts
Gives us the strength to endure
The pain and the lonely part
Though we have no miracle cure.

We must accept the inevitable
But never play with death
For our blessing is our spirit
And Life's gentle warming breath.

~ Charlette Hannah ~

Living Legacies provides untreated pine or poplar coffins. They can be decorated with paints, fabric, photographs, paper, pens or pencils. They provide an ideal opportunity for family and friends to write farewell messages to the deceased and offer a creative outlet for expressing grief and love.

The coffin above is a basic cardboard coffin without the lid. It has a frame around the top to hold the lining in place, which is lifted off so that the lid can be closed before burial or cremation. Unfortunately cardboard coffins are temporarily unavailable as they are being redesigned to make them more easily freighted. Watch this space for more information...

In the short term we can provide untreated pine or poplar coffins, which Living Legacies can make to measure. These are a healthy, environmentally responsible alternative to chipboard, rimu, mahogany or MDF.

We hope to have a supply of coffins made from willow, bamboo and other biodegradable materials available in the near future.

Living Legacies offers a plain untreated pine box coffin for those who take their environmental responsibility seriously. These can be made to measure but not at very short notice, so please order in advance for your own peace of mind.
They cost $750 plus freight.

Pine Coffin
Or, alternatively, in most cases a coffin is optional anyway. A body could technically be buried in a shroud or body bag or just wrapped in a blanket or rug. However, it has become the socially accepted norm in New Zealand and some other countries to use coffins.

The coffin in the picture below was decorated by visitors to the Eco Festival in Nelson and Takaka, 2001. It includes poems, pictures, stickers, quotes and names.

"The deeper that sorrow carves into us,

the more joy we can contain."

~ Kahlil Gibran ~

Cardboard coffin
These coffins should be available from all funeral directors as an economical and environmental alternative, and when they realise there is sufficient demand for them they will supply them. Please contact your local funeral company and ask for low-cost biodegradable coffins (not MDF) to be available in your town - before you need one!

Please contact Living Legacies for more information about coffins and other resources.