There is a walking and cycling track that runs beside the cemetery that connects Bayswater to Takapuna and Devonport to the north and south respectively.

[3] It is noted as particularly significant as it contains the final resting place of many prominent early New Zealanders as well as WWI veterans of Pacific and Māori background who were trained at Narrowneck Camp.

The cemetery's layout was designed by John Francis Boylan, a prominent engineer from the Auckland area.

[5] The plots formed a rectilinear grid that allowed for people to walk easily amongst the graves, which was lined with native trees.

[9][10] In 1910, a wharf was built at the end of the Bayswater peninsula with regular steam ferry services to Auckland city.

This cemetery has distinct significance in Pacific Island history in 20th century Auckland as the main burial site in New Zealand for Pasifika soldiers who served in World War I.