Ketenikau (Te Kamo) Cemetery was originally a Māori urupa (burial ground).
It first began use as a Pākehā cemetery following the death of a young girl, Ada Holman. When Ada died, her parents weren't allowed to bury her at the Christ Church graveyard because she hadn't been christened.
Ada's parents asked local Pohe Chief Merie Te Puiha if they could bury her in Ketenikau Cemetery. The chief agreed and, in 1882, Ada Holman was buried there.
After this, Mr Holman negotiated to purchase a quarter of an acre for a Pākehā cemetery. The cemetery’s establishment was aided by Mr Holman’s father, James Whitelaw, William and James Carruth, Mr Walton, Mr Barnes and Mr Bethels.
Mrs Holman then set out to raise £50 for a chapel to be built, giving those who donated £1 or more a guaranteed family plot in the cemetery. Unfortunately, the money was destroyed in the 1889 Kamo Hall fire, where it was being kept for safe keeping and the chapel was never built.