Story: Diverse religions

Cromwell in Central Otago was the site of a large gold rush in the 1860s. About 400 of the miners came from China, and they and their descendants remained in the town until the 1920s. This 1908 newspaper story describes the funeral of Tommy Ah Joe, who was buried according to traditional Chinese, including Buddhist, rituals. His clothing was burned to deter evil spirits and food was placed around his coffin to sustain him on his journey to heaven.