While planning to sell some of her land in January, Mrs Cooke engaged a surveyor, who confirmed ''quite a piece of our title was in the cemetery''.
On her land were about 37 graves. Part of the area used for new burials is also on Mrs Cooke's land. As well, a driveway she thought belonged to her was actually on cemetery land.
As soon as Mrs Cooke learned of the border discrepancy she contacted the Central Otago District Council, assuming the council administered the cemetery land.
''Obviously people can't have their loved ones buried in private land, and now we knew, we needed to do something about it.''
But it took many months for the council to respond, and when they did it was to let her know the land was in fact administered by the Department of Conservation (Doc).
''I felt that the CODC should have got back to me sooner on what was a relatively sensitive issue.''
Teviot Valley Community Board chairman Raymond Gunn said he was working with Doc.
''That is an anomaly that we have all become aware of, so we need to do some boundary adjustments,'' he said.
Mrs Cooke said her aim was to find a solution without in any way disrupting the cemetery.
She was working with the Roxburgh Cemetery Trust and was keen to get the titles changed without the local community becoming concerned.
One possible solution was transferring the driveway to Mrs Cooke, and transferring the land within the cemetery to Doc, with some financial arrangement.
Whatever the solution, Mrs Cooke's aim was to ensure the cemetery would not be disturbed.
Doc senior ranger Ruth Garland confirmed the Roxburgh Cemetery occupied some of Mrs Cooke's land and Mrs Cooke's property occupied some of the Roxburgh Cemetery land.
''The process for dealing with an exchange of reserve land for freehold land is managed under Section 15 of the Reserves Act 1977 and can be lengthy due to the number of stakeholders involved in the process.''
