Once a week, members of a coffin club in New Zealand gather for tea, conversation, and to create their own final resting place.
Kevin Heyward, 79, from Hawke's Bay, is crafting his own coffin to resemble a classic Austin Healey car with the license plate DEAD1A.
"My daughter came up with this idea," said the car enthusiast. His final resting place was later equipped with a dummy steering wheel, a windshield, rubber wheels with metal hubcaps, wooden fenders, a hood, and side mirrors. For the ease of carrying, Kevin also designed six wooden handles around the perimeter.
"It (the coffin) was quite heavy because I'm quite big. I told my six grandsons to lift weights regularly because one day they'll be in charge of carrying it," Mr. Heyward said.
Kevin's club, which he joins with many other elderly friends, is called Hawke's Bay. It's one of four open coffin clubs in New Zealand. The first club was founded in 2010 in Rotorua. Some clubs report having up to 800 registered members.
Two members of the Tauranga Coffin Club in New Zealand are decorating their final resting place. Photo: George Novak
At the Hastings Club, 75-year-old Jim Thorne crafted a racetrack-painted coffin out of his passion for motorcycles. The coffin is now on display in his garage alongside his motorcycle collection. Most of Thorne's friends are astonished and curious about why he prepared such a coffin for himself.
"Some people think death is a taboo, an unlucky topic that shouldn't be mentioned, but it's just a natural part of life that everyone has to go through. It's better to prepare for the future," the 75-year-old man said.
Helen Bromley, secretary of the Hawke's Bay Coffin Club, said the members are all elderly people. They meet weekly to chat and share about everything in life, including death.
"I think everyone here accepts that everyone has to leave eventually. The club is a place to help people prepare in advance, hoping to lessen the burden on their loved ones because funeral costs are constantly increasing," Helen said.
The National Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand says the average cost of a funeral in New Zealand is around NZ$10,000 (approximately VND 151 million). Coffin prices range from NZ$1,200 to NZ$4,000. While joining the coffin club for a fee of NZ$30 allows each member to have a plywood coffin made in one of three available styles.
The Coffin Club in Hastings, New Zealand. Source: TWP
In addition, the club produces urns for sale to local crematoriums and crafts small coffins for infants free of charge. Members also help knit blankets, teddy bears, pillows, and figurines to place in the children's coffins.
Christina Ellison, 75, who lost her young daughter in 1968, said she was comforted to know the club was helping families who had lost loved ones.
Minh Phuong (According to AFP )
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