Every day we help people in their time of need
After the death of a family member or close friend, it is important to know that you can depend on experienced, professional people to make all the arrangements to ensure the funeral flows smoothly.
It is important that you choose the funeral ceremony that is right for you and your family. Forrest Funeral Services can guide you through the choices available and then we'll take care of the details to make sure everything flows smoothly on the day.
Our caring team of professionals will liaise with clergy and celebrants, doctors, hospitals, government departments, coroners and other officials, crematoriums and cemetery authorities so you don't have to worry.
We can also arrange music and musicians, including an organist, place notices in the newspapers, provide vehicles, order family flowers, arrange the placement of ashes and memorials and anything else you require. Repatriation is also a speciality.
Forrests has two funeral homes - at Browns Bay and in Orewa. Each has a modern chapel and catering lounge and facilities on site along with off-street parking.
Both Forrest’s chapels have an organ and comprehensive sound system, and we provide a recording of each service if required. Powerpoint technology is also available.
We also print individual orders of service and hymn sheets to an attractive layout and with colour photos to help celebrate a life.
Staff at Forrest Funeral Services are available to speak to local community groups and schools about funerals, and we are also pleased to host community groups at our premises.
Making the right choices
Forrest Funeral Services can explain the choices available:
- The different types of ceremony, religious or not
- The best location for the service: a church or chapel, at home, at the graveside or crematorium
- Who should officiate: a priest, minister, celebrant or family members
- Whether you want to view the deceased, and where the viewing should be
- Whether you want to have a burial or cremation
- Whether you want flowers of charitable donations
- The most appropriate funeral notice
- Casket selection, including eco-friendly options
- The order of service, the choice of music and hymns
- Venue for a post-funeral get together and how to arrange it
- What other professional help is available
Taking care of the details
Once the choices are made, you can choose how little or how much you want Forrest’s professional and experienced staff to help with all the necessary arrangements. We can take care of the following details:
- The registration of death and necessary documentation
- Contacting appropriate burial or cremation authorities, as well as contacting the doctor, coroner or hospital and collection of certificates
- Arranging national or international transportation of repatriation in New Zealand or any other country. Forrest Funeral Services is the preferred firm for taking care of these arrangements
- Liaising with clergy or funeral celebrants, assisting with the service and organising funeral details
- Provision and preparation of casket, which you can select from our modern show room
- Embalming, when appropriate, to ensure hygienic preservation and natural presentation
- Providing viewing facilities in our modern rooms next to the chapel
- Ordering family flowers for the casket
- Providing transport to and from the funeral in our modern fleet of hearses and cars
- Preparing and placing newspaper notices locally or internationally
- Arranging monumental masonry for the memorial stone
- Arranging the scattering or burial of ashes on the North Shore or at any other location, as well as providing quality urns