Return to Sender Caskets

16/12/2025

A gentle share. This RNZ article looks at an Auckland funeral home caring for some unclaimed ashes from past decades, often because of miscommunication over time. Shared with care 💚🖤💚

An Auckland funeral home has reunited unclaimed ashes with about a dozen families, but still has over 800 remaining unclaimed after a call-out before a mass interment.

Full story ⬇

16/12/2025

Dried petals from a casket spray inside a christmas bauble will help one family remember a treasured mum this Christmas. Yellow and pink were her favourite.

08/12/2025

❤️ This Christmas, give yourself permission to set boundaries and protect your heart. Grief is hard enough without the pressure of “shoulds.”

Sometimes, that means choosing rest, saying no, or simply taking time for yourself. Just like Return to Sender Caskets honour the journey of loved ones we’ve lost, we can honour our own needs by sending back the expectations that don’t serve us 💚🖤💚

07/12/2025

✨ HE HAERENGA KA WHAKAKITEA ANŌ I TE RĀ O TE POROPOROAKI ✨
🌊 The Memories We Don’t Hear Until the Farewell 🌊

Some stories are so personal they deserve to be reflected in the details. Funerals often bring forward memories we have never heard before. Small moments shared by friends, neighbours and whānau can suddenly reveal the deeper story of someone’s life.

The FDANZ Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand message in the image captures this beautifully. It reminds us how gathering, sharing and remembering can strengthen our sense of connection, whakapapa and aroha.

At Return to Sender we have been exploring how personalised design can support that same meaning and help express a person’s haerenga through life. Inspired by Aotearoa’s relationship with moana, whenua and taiao, our Artisan concepts offer different ways to honour identity, place and mana:

🌊Haerenga ki te Moana
Voyage Over the Waves. A waka guided by the stars symbolising resilience, guidance and a safe passage home.

👣 Tidal Footprints
Footprints in sand acknowledging the impact someone leaves on hearts, whānau and community.

🌀 Nautilus and Spiral Tides
A form shaped by whakapapa, growth and the natural cycles that continue beyond us.

🌺 Coastal Whenua and Pohutukawa
A coastline scene anchored by a flowering pōhutukawa representing strength, remembrance and our enduring connection to whenua.

🐚 Underwater Sanctuary
A peaceful world beneath the waves that reflects continuity, calm and quiet beauty.

These personalised concepts show how symbolism can help whānau gather, reflect and celebrate the fullness of a life lived. They offer gentle ways to acknowledge the places, values and moments that shaped someone’s journey.

05/12/2025

🐘 Even elephants know a respectful send-off is never over the top, it’s all in the right trunk of the matter 💚🖤💚

Fun Fact Friday! - Did you know elephants have been observed holding what appear to be funerals?

03/12/2025

🔥 Thursday Tater Tale Tickler 🔥
Today’s lesson in frontier-era dramatics: Sometimes the family dinner table feels like a life or death situation… although in our line of work, we prefer to keep things a little more straightforward😌⚰️

At Return to Sender Caskets, we savour a good Thursday chuckle, especially one mashing history, hunger, and frontier flair. This family's supper standoff is pure spud devotion 🥔
We have seen folks who would sooner face their final farewell than an empty potato plate. Nothing comes between a Kiwi and their rīwai 🇳🇿🥔

"Give me potatoes or give me death" is not historical like Patrick Henry’s 1775 speech, yet it fits right in at Return to Sender, where we craft eco caskets from natural NZ pine that do not cost the earth 🌲♻️ Like those hearty spuds, our designs return to the soil sustainably, complete with a tree planted for every sale via Trees for Survival. 🌱🌏

“Give me potatoes or give me death” may have worked for Patrick. For us, with our Artisan Casket even featuring spuds, we say: always choose the potatoes. Wishing you a terrific Tater Thursday across Aotearoa✨💚🖤💚

27/11/2025

🎵🎶 “The Power of Music in Ritual” struck a chord with us! At Return to Sender Caskets, we know that music isn’t just a soundtrack; it’s a bridge, a farewell, and sometimes even a final encore. Just like Elvis’ timeless hit, we help send loved ones off with dignity, style, and a touch of harmony🎸💫🎶

Because sometimes, the right melody is all it takes to say goodbye and Return to Sender 💚🖤💚

26/11/2025

🌿❤️ This story truly struck a chord with Return to Sender. ❤️🌿

Love does not always fade - sometimes it grows into something living, lasting and breathtaking.

In Argentina, a husband planted more than 7,000 trees in the shape of a guitar to honour his wife after she passed away. Visible from the sky, this living memorial is a testament to how deeply we can cherish those we have lost - and how beautiful remembrance can be when it comes from the heart.

At Return to Sender Caskets, stories like this remind us why we do what we do: creating meaningful, natural and compassionate ways to honour a life well lived.

May we all remember that love, in its truest form, leaves a legacy that continues to grow. 🌱💚🖤💚

26/11/2025

25/11/2025

🇮🇹 A Surprising Case of Identity Fraud After Death in Italy 🇮🇹

Imagine this: a man dressed as his deceased mother to keep collecting her pension 😳
In northern Italy, a 57-year-old was arrested after authorities discovered his mother’s remains at home while he tried to renew her identity card. He now faces charges including concealing a body, fraud, and forgery. This unusual story reminds us how vulnerable end-of-life matters can be, and why timely reporting and respectful arrangements for loved ones are so important.

At Return to Sender Caskets, we help families honour their loved ones with eco-friendly caskets that celebrate life sustainably 💚🖤💚

Have you come across stories this strange or shocking? How do you think society can better protect the identities of those who’ve passed? 🕯️

25/11/2025

💀 When Wednesday Meets the Wake
✨ Keeping it lively… but no overnight stays 👀 Spotted in a local hearse
🐫 Happy Hump Day Aotearoa ☁️🇳🇿 💚🖤💚

⚰️🕯️☕

25/11/2025