Private Viewings & Time With Your Loved One
For many families, spending quiet time with their loved one before the funeral is one of the most meaningful parts of saying goodbye. At Waters Funerals, we have private viewing rooms and family lounges at both our Pukekohe and Papatoetoe chapels.
Calm, dignified spaces where you can sit with your loved one, on your own or with the wider family around you. Viewings are always optional, always private.
What Is a Viewing
A viewing, sometimes called a private farewell, a final goodbye, or simply time with your loved one, is the chance for family and close friends to see, sit with, and say goodbye to the person who has died, before the casket is closed for the service.
Viewings can be:
Private and family-only
Just immediate family, in one of our private rooms, at a time that suits you
Open to extended family and close friends
Usually held on the day before the service or the morning of
Public, before the service begins
Where friends and community can pay their respects ahead of the formal funeral
Cultural or religious vigils
Prayer gatherings, family time as part of tradition
You can choose any combination, or none at all. Some families find that a viewing helps with grief; others prefer to remember their loved one as they were in life. Both are valid.
Our private viewing rooms
Both locations are fully accessible with wheelchair access, accessible bathrooms, and ground-floor rooms with no stairs. We've designed the spaces so families with elderly relatives, young children or anyone with mobility needs can be present comfortably.
You'll usually have the room entirely to yourselves. We don't book multiple families into the same space, and we don't rush the time you've set aside.
Both our Pukekohe and Papatoetoe chapels have dedicated viewing rooms designed for quiet family time:
How long can we spend in a Viewing?
Some families come in for half an hour. Others sit with their loved one for several hours, or come back across multiple days. We can accommodate that too. Whatever feels right for your family is what happens. This will be discussed at the time.
If you'd like multiple visits over several days, just talk to us when we plan the timing.
Cultural and religious traditions
Many of the families we serve hold viewings or family time as part of a deeply important cultural or religious tradition. We work with you.
Māori whānau
We welcome family time with the tūpāpaku, including karakia, waiata and the wider whānau gatherings.
Pasifika families
Samoan, Tongan, Cook Island, Niuean, Fijian and other Pacific traditions often involve extended family time, prayer and song; we make space for it
Hindu and Sikh families
We provide facilities for family-led washing, dressing and pre-service rituals where these are part of your tradition
Muslim families
We provide private space and time for the family to perform ghusl and shrouding (kafan), and we accommodate the urgency of an early burial
Jewish families
We support the role of the chevra kadisha and the practices of taharah and shomrim where requested
Christian and Catholic families
For prayer vigils, rosary, blessings or the laying-out of the deceased before a church service.
Buddhist/Chinese/Vietnamese/Cambodian/Thai/ Philippine.
If your tradition isn't named here, please tell us about it.
What you can bring to Viewings
A viewing is your time. You're welcome to bring:
Photographs: to place around the room or beside the casket
Personal items: jewellery, glasses, a favourite hat, a book, a rugby jersey, a teddy bear, anything meaningful
Music: quiet background music, recorded or live; we can set up speakers
Children: see the next section
Food and drink: we have kitchen and hospitality areas at both sites; some families bring something to share
Faith leaders: priests, ministers, ruhanis, imams, rabbis, kaumātua, kahuna - anyone whose presence matters to your tradition
Bringing children to a viewing
Many parents ask whether children should be present at a viewing. There's no single right answer. It depends on the child, your family, and what you feel is appropriate.
What we can say from experience: children who are gently prepared, given a choice, and supported by a familiar adult often handle viewings well, and many find it helpful. We've welcomed children of all ages, including young toddlers carried by parents.
Viewings for family who can't be there
Sometimes immediate family are overseas or interstate and can't reach New Zealand in time. We offer:
Live video streaming of a private viewing
Photographs for family who would like one final image to remember their loved one by
Pre-recorded video: for sharing later with people who weren't able to be present
These are sensitive and we always check carefully with the family before doing any of them.
Viewings without embalming
If the funeral happens within 24 to 48 hours, a hygienic preservation or refrigeration in our private mortuary is often enough for a dignified viewing, we can assess this once your loved is in our care.
For longer timeframes where family are flying in from overseas, or for an extended viewing across several days, embalming may be the right choice. We'll talk you through it honestly.
What Viewings cost
Use of our private viewing rooms and family lounges will be an itemised cost on your estimate.
If you'd like additional services such as extended embalming for a longer viewing, video streaming, catering for an extended family gathering, those are itemised separately on your written quote.
Frequently Asked Questions: Viewings
Clear answers to help you decide what feels right for your family.
Speak with Us to Arrange a Viewing
If you want to plan a private family-only farewell, a more public viewing before the service, or simply have somewhere quiet to gather and talk while you make decisions, we'll make the space and the time available.