Viking funerals
One question we get asked a lot is if you can have a ‘Viking funeral’ referring to the idea that your body be placed on a ship and set alight. Although this is often suggested in jest it does come up frequently. The short answer is no you cannot have a ‘Viking funeral’. In fact, there is little evidence that Vikings actually did burn their dead in boats, most Vikings were simply buried.
Although you cannot have todays idea of a ‘Viking funeral’ there are alternatives that incorporate some of the aspects.
If you would like to hear our recent RDU radio interview with Maddy please follow this link: https://rdu.org.nz/podcast/gl-10/
Burials at sea
The first option is burial at sea. Burials at sea can occur within five designated sites around New Zealand. The closest to Christchurch is 55 nautical miles northeast of Lyttelton.
Burials at sea must meet specific guidelines including:
- obtaining a compliance certificate for the burial from Maritime NZ.
- You must be in a sealed casket that will stay intact.
- The casket must sink quickly to ensure it does not drift from the recorded burial location and it must not resurface.
The person undertaking the burial must provide evidence to show that the requirements were meet. Including evidence, the casket sunk and the exact coordinates of where the body entered the water.
Scattering Ashes
The second option is getting cremated and then having a family member either scatter you at sea or place your ashes in a raft and letting it drift out to sea.
There are generally no restrictions on the placement or scattering of ashes as long as you do not cause offence to anyone else in the process. This gives family members substantial flexibility to try accommodate your burial wishes or a variation of them.
Godfreys Law can help you organise this
If you have any unusual after-death or funeral requests, get in touch with the Life Law team at Godfreys Law to update your will and have these reflected in your will. You can call Maddy, Gina or Phil, our solicitors on 03 366 7469
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