Cemetery Circuit

The Cemetery Circuit is a temporary motorcycle street circuit in Wanganui that hosts the Wanganui Motorcycle Road Races each Boxing Day. The circuit winds through the old town cemetery on a loop of narrow residential streets — one of the few active racing circuits in the world where the course includes a graveyard.

The Boxing Day races are a major local event and draw motorcyclists and spectators from across New Zealand. If you happen to be in Wanganui in late December, it is worth watching — the speed and noise of the bikes through the narrow streets next to the gravestones is a uniquely New Zealand experience.

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The Cemetery Circuit is named for the old Wanganui cemetery that sits inside one of the circuit's loops — riders effectively race around graves. It is classified as a street circuit because it uses public roads, closed for the event. The combination of the narrow streets, the steep climb up Cemetery Hill, and the cemetery itself makes it one of the most atmospheric motorcycle races in the world.

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