Oturehua woman Judy Beck used "good old-fashioned detective work" to research her latest book, but says she could not have done it alone.
The information she received from the Oturehua and wider community was integral to the project and it was a team effort that created the resulting book, she said.
The launch of Blackstone Hill Cemetery - An A to Z of the families that lie there 1864 to 1964 on Sunday would therefore honour both the community effort behind the book and the generations of families that lie in the historic cemetery, Mrs Beck said.
"It’s been written by the community, for the community."
Mrs Beck - a retired schoolteacher who has already published three local history books - started research the cemetery after completing her third book, about four years ago.
Not possessing a computer, she did all the research "the old-fashioned way", ringing up people in the phone book "and asking them about their families".
She said as a "self-appointed local historian", she just wanted the Oturehua district’s stories to be recorded.
"I’ve got all this knowledge in my head and I thought I’d better get it written down now. There are all sorts of stories that people have told me over the years and I thought it best to commit them to paper."
Blackstone Hill Cemetery contains stories and information about 85 families who have family members buried in the cemetery, which is near Oturehua.
Mrs Beck’s research uncovered a few "skeleton-type stories" but she did not include them in the book, using her discretion and not wishing to upset any families.
She said she enjoyed volunteering her time to do local book projects, having "been secretary of every single committee there ever was" and still wanting to give back to the community.
But although she spent so much time researching the cemetery, Mrs Beck said it had never been her wish to eventually be laid to rest there.
Instead, she wishes to be cremated and initially "sit on the mantelpiece watching the rugby".
All proceeds from the book will go to the Blackstone Hill Cemetery Trust.
The book will be launched at the Blackstone Hill Cemetery at 2pm on July 30.
