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Haunted Marionettes

Haunted Marionettes

In my collection hang three tatty looking marionettes. Two that were gifted to me about 10 years ago. Two Kathputlis; Indian made puppets given to me by a work acquaintance who said they were no longer welcome in their home due to ‘‘their constant fighting” which was starting to frighten

Here lies Janie Seddon – Motueka

Here lies Janie Seddon – Motueka

The derelict rusted remains of the once proud Steamer Janie Seddon sits off the Motueka foreshore and has been a feature of the local seascape for years. She was the first fishing boat purchased by the Talley’s fishing group, but also served the New Zealand government as a military vessel

Myers Park – Central Auckland

Myers Park – Central Auckland

Myers Park, opened in 1915, is a narrow park hidden amongst towering concrete and steel in central Auckland. Unknown to many living outside of the area, as it is not easily visible from the major close by roads, even Queen Street to which Myers Park runs parallel. The park is

Giant Moa wasn’t so robust

Giant Moa wasn’t so robust

As reported in the NZHerald – 22nd December 2013 The South Island Giant Moa wasn’t quite as hefty as we had thought. A new study has found its bones were more slender than first believed, which has resulted in a recalculation of the birds’ size. Instead of studying just the

PumpHouse Theatre public event – Feb 23rd 2024

PumpHouse Theatre public event – Feb 23rd 2024

Another fun night at The PumpHouse Theatre done and dusted! A great bunch of people. Some sceptical, some total believers, and some ”on the fence” and curious. Many varying views, beliefs, and opinions, all represented in one room. Always a good mix in our opinion, as it can lead to

Tirau St / Puraruru Cemetery – Putaruru

Tirau St / Puraruru Cemetery – Putaruru

South of Hamilton on State Highway 1, the town of Putaruru sits amid rolling farmland, surrounded by the vast Kaimai Mamaku Forest Park. A timber and farming town, Putaruru is known for its beautiful spring waters, which come from the Blue Spring on the Waihou River. Putaruru is a small

The Trent Farm Photos – Analysis

The Trent Farm Photos – Analysis

(This paper was originally published in the proceedings of the 1976 UFO conference of the centre for UFO studies. This  version has been modified slightly in April 2000 for this Publication. This is the first of two technical and historical papers on The Trent photo case that were presented to

Patient Seventeen – Documentary – 2017.

Patient Seventeen – Documentary – 2017.

Patient Seventeen – Documentary – 2017. Alien abductions and the idea of extraterrestrial inference within our planet and population, via mysterious rare metal-based implants being inserted into the ”victims”, have fascinated me since childhood. Roger Krevin Leir (March 20, 1935 – March 14, 2014) was an American podiatric surgeon and

Australian Ape Nesting and Great Ape Comparison

Australian Ape Nesting and Great Ape Comparison

NESTING – A comparison of bedding between Great Apes and the fabled Australian Ape By Ray Doherty, Anthony Lipanovic, Nigel Francis, Lindsay Sander and Brad Payne A possible nest found near a tree nest location. This more than likely belongs to the adult which is more terrestrial as it gets


Editor's Choice
Picton Mushroom Tunnel – NSW, Australia
Picton Mushroom Tunnel – NSW, Australia20/01/2014Haunted LocationsPicton Mushroom Tunnel, also known simply as ‘The Tunnel’, is quite the renowned location for paranormal happenings. Located just outside of Picton, NSW, Australia, the tunnel has seen its share of suicide, murder and accidental death. Many of those who visit there tell of strange lights, cold spots, disembodied voices and dark figures. The most frightening phenomena is said to be the ‘lady in white’, who instills a feeling of terror into those she reveals herself too. A Tunnel… Just a Tunnel The  town of Picton is located in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales.  Although the area was explored in 1798, it was off limits to settlement  until 1821. Picton, developed as the Great South Road, was cut  through the Razorback Range. It was established as the settlement of  ‘Stonequarry,’ but was later renamed ‘Picton’ in 1845.   In 1867, the town started to see faster growth, as the Picton-Mittagong  railway loop line was built. This line was a feat of engineering and  construction, and at the time, it included the deepest hill cutting in  Australia. The line also included the 592 foot (180 meter) Redbank Range  Railway Tunnel, the first to be used by the New South Wales Railways.   In 1919, this section of the line was closed to the railways, as a new  line was built to better handle the heavy load of traffic.   During World War Two, the RAAF made good use of unused railway tunnels,  and the Picton Tunnel was no different. Arms and ammunition were stored  throughout its length, and at times, mustard gas tanks were also stored.   In 1950, after the RAAF moved out, Redbank Range Railway Tunnel became  known as the Picton Mushroom Tunnel, as it was used for the commercial  growing of Mushrooms (as many other closed tunnels are used today.) Picton Tunnel has seen its share of death. …but Add Some Death and Tragedy… The  decapitated and dismembered body of a man was found  in the tunnel, on  the 24th January 1884. Who he was is unknown, and as  far as I can find,  he was never identified by anyone, he no doubts lies  in a nameless grave  somewhere. It is, of course, not known whether the death was suicide, or an accident. Some people used the tunnel as a shortcut when travelling, choosing to go through the hill, rather than over it.    December 13th 1916, Emily Agnes Bollard could have been doing just   that, when she was struck down by a train in the tunnel. It is said that   the 51 year old woman was using the tunnel as a shortcut, on her way  to  visit a relative. Some say it was an  act of suicide.  Regardless, when she was hit, it is said her body was  carried on the  front of the train for quite a distance (Some say into  the Picton  Station), before the train halted and her remains removed. 20th  February 1954, the body of Olaf Perkman, a researcher with the CSIRO,  was found in the carriage of a train at Central Railway Station, Sydney.  The 2nd March a labourer Ronald Holl, 24, was remanded on charges of  murder. Later that month on the 30th, Holl admitted to killing  Perkman. Holl stated that Perkman had made immoral suggestions, and  advancements on him, and when the train had entered the Picton Tunnel  (this was the second, newer tunnel close by) he had shot Perkman in the  head with his .22 rifle at near point blank range. He also admitted to  rummaging through Perkmans pockets, stealing some money. Holl was subsequently found guilty, and when the judge sentenced him to death, Holl replied saying ‘Thank you’.   Legend also tells of a suicide by hanging, of a young woman, and the  rape and murder of another. Do any of these deceased people still linger  within the Picton Tunnel? …and Get Some Hauntings There  have been many reports of strange activity in the  tunnel. Strange  lights appear in the dark, frigid cold spots are felt,  and sometimes the  sounds of a steam train can be heard. It is also said  that the ghost of  Emily Bollard still walks the tunnel, sometimes  looking age 51, and at  others much younger.   Black figures have been reported to loiter  within its depths, with  visitors able to walk up very close before they  disappear before their  eyes. Probably the most disturbing   experiences are those told by people unlucky enough to have met the   ‘lady in white’. This spirit will choose one of the member of a group of   visitors, tourists or trespassers, and momentarily show herself to  just  that one person. An extreme terror will be felt by that person,  and at  times these people have had to be carried screaming from the  tunnel. (please note that entering the tunnel without permission is trespassing and can get you a $300 fine) Ashley Hall [...] Read more...
Red Beach Private Residence
Red Beach Private Residence31/01/2014Private ResidencesThe Haunted Auckland team were contacted by a family concerned by apparent paranormal activity occurring in their suburban Red Beach home. Reported activity A “spirit” woman was seen walking across the hallway while one of the girls was in the master bedroom. The older daughter woke one night to find her room full of spirit men dressed in old clothes. A spirit hand “clicked” in front of one of the girls faces while she was in bed one night. The same girl said she could feel and hear something breathing in her room.  The mother didn’t like being in that bedroom also. She said it felt as it felt as if someone was standing beside her. The mother was recently touched while in the laundry. The oldest daughter has been hugged while sitting on the computer. One of the girls saw “bubbles” floating in front of her face one night. She described “scenes” going on in the bubbles. Light bulbs shatter regularly In the home. No faults in the power supply have been found. The sceptic father saw an apparition of a small child for himself. Previous to this incident he did not believe the stories coming from the others in the family. This is what triggered the visit request. Investigators for this session Mark, Barbara and Jessie. Home History A historical search found that this compact sized Universal Home and surrounding properties were once farmland which was subdivided around 30 years ago. The house was built around 1986 as part of a new subdivision in the Red Beach area. The family that called us in currently rent the house and have lived here for a few years. On arrival, we were shown around the house and heard the stories from the mother’s and daughter’s points of view. It seems that everyone in the home has had experiences there. Even the father (who was away overseas at the time) who, until now was a steadfast sceptic with regards to the paranormal. It was only the fact that he was witness to an apparition himself that we were asked to come and look into the activity. The mother had wondered as to whether the home may once have been used as a methamphetamine lab. There were Velcro tabs on all the windows in the lounge room as though the windows had been covered over at some point. Jessie, an ambulance medic suggested that in this case she didn’t feel the home fitted the usual methamphetamine lab profile. In her line of work, Jess is trained to identify such locations for health and safety precautions. As usual we set about documenting the home’s interior and exterior, photographically, and on video, whilst atmospheric, surface & ambient temperatures and energy field data from every room was noted at regular intervals . The surface temperatures ranged between 23°C (toilet) and 28°C (in kitchen with the oven on). The ambient temperatures were between 24°C and 26°C (in the bathroom). The outside temperature was 23°C ambient on arrival. The weather conditions for the night were fine and warm. The sky was clear. Jessie – It was a very muggy night, slightly windy but not enough to cool us off until near the end of the investigation. It was very warm in the house and it did not change throughout our investigation. The overall temperature and “feel” of the home didn’t seem to alter in any way throughout the entire night. No fluctuations of any kind were recorded during the session. EMF (Electromagnetic Field) levels were flat throughout the entire house. Internal wiring was clean and tidy. No leakages or rough or loose cables or wires detected. Under the house was used for storage. A solid block foundation. Tidy with no odd temperature or EMF fluctuations. No untidy, frayed or damaged wiring to be noted. No rat droppings noted. We again trialled our “Spirit Box” (an electronic device purported to aid spirits in communicating).  Nothing worthy of noting was recorded. Home layout The house was on an angled section so walking up to the house from the road we were level to the downstairs garage. To get up to the main entrance to the house we walked under the deck and up two short flights of stairs to the sliding door which enters into the lounge. If one continues on around the deck there is a small door into the dining area near the kitchen. From the main sliding door entrance there is the lounge which was not overly large. To the far right of the lounge is the dining area and straight in front of the sliding door but on the far side of the lounge behind a wall is the kitchen which has an entrance from the dining area. On the far left of the lounge is a door to the hallway. On walking down the hallway the first door to the left has the eldest daughter’s bedroom which is small, fitting a double bed and not much else. Opposite this door on the hallway is the laundry. This room also has an exit to the back yard. The next two doors on the left continuing down the hallway have the toilet and bathroom in that order. The last door on the left is the master bedroom which is the largest bedroom in the house. The door at the end of the hallway is the smallest bedroom and was the room of one of the younger daughters, or potentially both daughters as there were bunks in there. The back yard which can be accessed from the door in the laundry or from the main entrance from the lounge is small and reasonably flat. They have pet rabbits in a wooden hutch in the back yard. The garage under the house is not internal access and is used as storage. There was a good sized deck outside the lounge and the nearest neighbours were a reasonable distance away. Initial feelings Barbara – The house felt like a family home. Initially it had a calm happy feel about it, but later in the bedrooms it felt as though there was someone watching us. The feeling came and went as if something was there one minute and gone the next. I thought it was particularly strong in the end bedroom. Jessie– I didn’t feel anything upon entering the house. It just felt “normal”. It just felt very quiet. Like it may have had something there before but I wasn’t feeling anything with us that night. Although there were interesting stories about all three bedrooms we found the end and master bedrooms to be the most interesting, as these were the rooms with the most reported activity. We spent quite a lot of time in them attempting communications sessions. Barbara – I did think that while I was in the lounge someone had touched my back. At times (later in the evening) I had a sense of something being in the two end bedrooms. I felt slightly uncomfortable at times in the two end bedrooms.  There was a sense of something being there but I’m not sure what. I wondered if there is a “spirit portal” in the house, as I had a sense of energy being there one minute and then it was gone. I get the feeling that the end bedroom is the centre of whatever is happening in the house. During one of the many communication attempts throughout the night, Jessie thought she could hear a little girl speak, so her and Barbara attempted a “chat” session, encouraging her to come and sit with them and talk. Upon reviewing the recorded audio, nothing unusual could be heard. No “little girl” was captured at the time. Mark, whilst spending time outside the house, later confirmed that he had heard the girl too – a nearby neighbour playing. Barbara feels she may have captured a man speaking while she was noting temperature levels and had her audio recorder running. Barbara – I seem to have captured 2 possible EVPs of a male. One saying “Help” and the other saying “Farking Hell!”   A murmuring sound can also be heard just before the “help”. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/137653921″ params=”color=000000&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] At the end of the investigation, Barbara performed a clearing of the home in an attempt to eliminate all negative energies in the home. Conclusions Possible Sleep disorder? The story of the floating bubbles with “played scenes” inside them sounded very similar to a case out in Conifer Grove we looked into a year ago. It was concluded that this was due to a sleep disorder. This case seemed to have the same symptoms ie the “bubbles” or small floating dreamlets of imagery etc. Many of the signs pointed to Hypnagogia. The experience of the transitional state from wakefulness to sleep: the hypnagogic state of consciousness. Mental phenomena that occur during this “threshold consciousness” phase include lucid dreaming, hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. There are many phenomena that can occur on the threshold of sleep, or the transitional stage between wakefulness and sleep. Hypnagogia can range from incessant noises and vague geometrical patterns including a loud ringing sensation in the ears and voices, to fully fledged scenes called “dreamlets”. The difference between this imagery and dreams is that they are rather static and seem to lack a basic storyline. Many famous thinkers and artists have benefited from the great creativity offered through these separate realities and enjoyed passively observing their dreams forming right in front of their eyes. It is suggested that if this activity continues and is causing ongoing discomfort, the help of a sleep clinic might be the solution. This loose conclusion may or may not be correct, but it seemed a fitting answer at the time and matched what we have experienced in past cases. This might also explain the daughter waking up to find a “crowd of men” in her room, that the mother came in and was unable to see. Perhaps the daughter was in a mid sleep process at the time? The family seemed perfectly healthy and fit, with only a small light depression claim among them (mother and daughter). This did not appear to attribute to anything they were experiencing at this point due to the medication being so light. Barbara – I didn’t see any evidence of any form of haunting while we were there.  Most people who live in the house have experienced some type of activity so this may indicate that there is some sort of haunting but we were unable to document it during our visit and so am unable to classify it.   Jessie – There were lots of little noises heard but given that the house was in the middle of suburbia we could not right off the noises as coming from neighbouring houses. There was also a noisy little Hedgehog that paid a visit and apparently he does this often. There were lots of stories about things that the girls had experienced in their bedroom just as they are falling asleep such as the eldest daughter waking up to men crowding her room and her mum not being able to see them. The youngest daughter having a hand waved in her face and clicking its fingers. The fact that a lot of these happened as the girls were falling asleep cannot be discounted. As this is a rental property there is not a lot of information around previous tenants. However the current occupants believe that some of the previous tenants may have been using the house to manufacture “P” (Methamphetamine) as the windows appear to have had something taped across them to block out all the light. As an ex volunteer ambulance officer I had attended training on how to identify a meth lab for our own safety so I decided to ask the family about the state of the house when they moved in. Upon speaking with the current occupants however they did not notice burnt patches of grass or any noticeable chemical spills anywhere in the house when they moved in. Any other signs of an active meth lab would not have made it past the bond clean when the suspected tenants moved out. If I was to take a guess, the taped over windows could have been more likely contributed to a weed growing exercise or a person who just liked to spend time in a dark room. I believe the investigation went rather well. There was not a lot of activity but we were able to try to test a few of their claims and really gave it a good go. While it was a very quiet investigation we were able to talk through some of the stuff that has happened with the tenants. Help them figure out how to deal with the stuff that is happening. We also did a cleansing which i think would help them feel a lot more secure in the house. My overall feelings on the property are that it could quite possibly have something going on due to all the strange occurrences happening but that these occurrences shouldn’t be attributed to the paranormal each time and that at the time it is happening they should be thinking more about what else could be causing this to happen and not jump to labelling it as paranormal.   Mark – I felt that we did all we could at the time to find answers, but nothing seemed out-of-place during our time there. After listening to the stories of experienced activity, I found I didn’t really have too many answers at the end of the session. At this point in time I’m leaning towards Hypnagogia, a sleep disorder to possibly explain some of the night-time visual experiences the daughter has been having. Note: This is just a theory based on our limited time with the family and our gathered knowledge from past experiences with other clients. More time should bring out more accurate answers. The home itself felt safe and light to me. I personally didn’t feel, see, hear or document anything which would lead me to believe that this home is haunted. I would suggest that the family please log any future activity down for future reference. They are welcome to contact us any time and the team welcomes any further questions or re-visit requests from them. Debunking On review of the photographic evidence, an odd face was discovered, apparently reflected in a picture frame stored in the lounge.   An analysis was performed using other photographs taken in the same room during the evening.  By overlaying two photographs, it was shown that what appeared to be an unusual, staring face was actually Pareidolia caused by the alignment shadows on the a braid and face of the girl in the portrait, giving an unusual appearance when viewed from a specific angle and framing. The series of three images shown on the right illustrate how the effect was generated. The first image was recorded with a higher resolution camera, the third shows the image of the unusual face overlayed and aligned. The middle image is a transitional phase between the top and bottom images showing how the alignment occurred. [...] Read more...
Occidental Hotel/Perry’s Occidental Hotel – Christchurch
Occidental Hotel/Perry’s Occidental Hotel – Christchurch30/06/2022Haunted Locations / Paranormal New ZealandBuilt-in 1861 and designed by Samuel Coleridge Farr (1827-1918) at 208 Hereford St, Perry’s Occidental Hotel and livery stables were popular with the wives and families of the members of the nearby 1862 Christchurch Club. The hotel became known as the Occidental in 1889. The house contains thirty-five rooms, including the large dining room, a commercial room, and several private sitting rooms. It is handsomely furnished throughout, and every attention is paid to the comfort and convenience of guests. There were stories that the 35-room hotel in the middle of town was haunted by the ghost of Jane Jollie, the wife of Captain Francis Jollie of Peel Forest, who died while a guest at the hotel in 1869. Renowned author Janet Frame was a housemaid/waitress at the Occidental in 1947. By 1998 it turned into a backpackers hotel and soon after started to become very run-down. It closed in August 2006. The Occidental Hotel was demolished in 2011. [...] Read more...
Helensville Museum – Overnight session. April 29th 2023 [PHOTOS]
Helensville Museum – Overnight session. April 29th 2023 [PHOTOS]29/04/2023Haunted Locations / Historic Buildings / Investigations / Paranormal New ZealandOn Saturday night the team (ignoring a storm warning) headed back out West to spend another overnight session in a location we’ve been returning to since the first one back in 2016. The Helensville Museum has been very welcoming and generous through the years, giving us unlimited research access to come in and do our thing. The weather behaved itself right up till the early morning hours when it hammered down. Luckily the team was tucked up in their individual abodes for the night. Each team member went solo till the morning, recording as they slept. Mark stayed in Hec’s Barn, Sam amongst the art and historical archives, Natasha in the Courthouse and Aimee in Hedley House. You’ll have to wait to hear if there were any findings, or whether any of us were visited during the night, as we’ve got a lot of video and audio to scan through. Here are a few photos the team snapped throughout the night. [...] Read more...
Can Electromagnetic Fields Create Ghosts?
Can Electromagnetic Fields Create Ghosts?01/06/2017Ghost Hunting / Hauntings / Opinions and Theories  Q: I recently read your book Scientific Paranormal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries about the mistakes that ghost hunters make using EMF detectors during investigations and how they are not productive. However, I always understood that EMF meters/readers were used to measure EMF levels because high levels of EMF could cause hallucinations that result in paranormal-like experiences. Any thoughts on this?   —M. Chapman   A: Many ghost hunters, including the T.A.P.S. team on the television show Ghost Hunters, use EMF detectors to search for electromagnetic fields because they believe that intense magnetic fields can create hallucinations, which in turn might create the illusion of ghosts. The basis for this theory comes primarily from research done by a Canadian cognitive neuroscientist, Michael Persinger. He found that hallucinations (such as out-of-body experiences) could be triggered by stimulating specific areas of the brain with fixed wavelength patterns of high-level electromagnetic fields.   He suggested that EMFs might therefore be responsible for everything from UFO sightings to religious apparitions to ghosts. As researcher Chris French notes:   The proposal is that fluctuations in the earth’s background magnetic field can interact with the temporal lobe, especially in individuals with a particularly sensitive temporal lobe, to produce a sense of a presence and visual hallucinations. . . . This explanation offers the intriguing possibility that such transcerebral magnetic stimulation may lie behind many reports of ghosts and hauntings. (French and Stone 2014, 99)   It’s an interesting theory. Unfortunately for the ghost hunters, it’s just a theory—not a proven effect. In fact, there’s little or no evidence to support the idea that EMFs create ghosts. Ghosts are not being seen in Persinger’s experimental laboratory in Ontario; they are being seen in abandoned hospitals and suburban basements. There is simply no evidence that common household appliances can generate EMFs of the frequency and power that induce hallucinations in a clinical setting.   Indeed, Yale neuroscientist Steven Novella says that the theory of EMFs as an origin for ghosts is “speculative at this point.” The electromagnetic stimulation used by Persinger … has to be focused, and at a certain frequency in order to have this effect. It seems unlikely that environmental electromagnetic fields would be fine-tuned just enough to cause this effect. . . . It’s an interesting idea; I just don’t think it’s terribly plausible. At present, while we can certainly duplicate it in a lab, I’m not aware of any evidence to suggest it actually happens out there in the world. (Novella 2010)   Richard Wiseman, in his book Paranormality: Why We See What Isn’t There, notes that several researchers tried to replicate Persinger’s results. A team of Swedish psychologists led by Pehr Granqvist…… became worried that some of Persinger’s participants may have known what was expected of them and their experiences could therefore have been due to suggestion rather than the subtle magnetic fields. To rule out this possibility in his work, Granqvist had all of his participants wear Persinger’s borrowed helmet, but ensured that the coils were only turned on for half the participants. Neither the participants nor the experimenters knew when the magnetic fields were on and when they were off. The results were remarkable. Granqvist discovered that the magnetic fields had absolutely no effect. Worse was to come for Persinger. In 2009, psychologist Chris French and his colleagues from Goldsmiths College in London carried out their own investigation into Persinger’s ideas by hiding coils behind the walls of a featureless white room, and then asking people to wander around the room and report any strange sensations. Seventy-nine people visited this most scientific of haunted houses for about 50 minutes each. Following in the footsteps of Granqvist, French and his team ensured that the coils were only switched on for half of the visits, and that neither the participants nor experimenters knew whether the coils were on or off. The magnetic fields had absolutely no effect on whether or not people reported a strange experience. (Wiseman 2011, 219–220)   In their rush to accept this “scientific” explanation for ghost sightings, investigators extrapolate far beyond the evidence. Until it can be demonstrated that generalized, nonclinical EMFs can create the psychological perception of ghostly phenomena, there is no investigative value in detecting such fields. If ghost investigators are certain that common household EMFs can create ghost hallucinations, there are simple ways to test that theory. If Persinger is correct and EMFs are in fact related to ghostly experience, it’s because the EMFs are causing the illusion of ghosts. If ghosts exist, they may or may not be related to EMFs (there’s no evidence showing they are), but ghost hunters who cite Persinger’s research in support of their methods are unwittingly undermining their own arguments: If you are sure that ghosts are real (and not the product of EMF-induced hallucinations), there is no logic or point in using a device to detect those EMFs.   References French, Christopher, and Anna Stone. 2014. Anomalistic Psychology: Exploring Paranormal Belief and Experience. London: Palgrave MacMillan. Novella, Steven. 2010. Getting into the spirit of things. MonsterTalk podcast (March 2). Wiseman, Richard. 2011. Paranormality: Why We See What Isn’t There. London: Pan Macmillan. [...] Read more...
YMCA Hostel – Pitt St, Auckland City
YMCA Hostel – Pitt St, Auckland City19/08/2021Haunted Locations / Historic Buildings / Hotels and Businesses / Locations of Interest / Paranormal New Zealand / True Ghost Stories / Urban LegendsThe YMCA Backpackers Hostel in Pitt St, in the bustling Auckland CBD has had its share of spooky occurrences through the years. Whether the stories are fact based or just urban myth, only those that have had experiences really know. I remember as a teen, hearing stories of a couple of alleged suicides in the rooms. This was before it was upgraded and went under some much-needed renovations. I was also told of a person tragically falling to their death from a high-level balcony one night. Landing on the footpath below. There are stories of voices heard coming from rooms where no one is staying. The sound of someone running down corridors in the early hours. The sound of loud and purposeful hard shoed heel-toe walking on hard floors, when the hallways are fully carpeted. Mysterious disappearing shadow-like ‘’people’’ seen on stairwells and walking along corridors. I heard of one person entering their room to see a person standing at the window looking out. At an eye blink the ‘’person’’ vanished. The stories seem to come from the bottom few floors. I as yet haven’t heard of anything being experienced in the top levels. Have any of our readers had any experiences whilst staying at the Pitt St YMCA, or know of anyone that has? Keen to hear your views. [...] Read more...

“Pioneers in the field…. Leading the way with Paranormal Research in New Zealand” – Connor Biddle, Paranormal Encounters.

“I have much respect for the level of study Mark and his team have put into the paranormal phenomenon through the years. His work is interesting and very well researched.” – Murray Bott, U.F.O Researcher & NZ’s MUFON representative.

”Refreshing to see solid and innovative investigation work, done with passion and honesty. Haunted Auckland stand out in the crowd and dont fit any typical mould. This is a very good thing”. – Paranormal Review newsletter

 

Paranormal New Zealand is the home of Haunted Auckland, a Paranormal Investigation and Research group.

Whether you’ve been aware of Mark Wallbank’s research work since the 1980s, attended his early 90s discussion events, received the quarterly newsletters, subscribed to his popular mid-2000s online blog BizarreNZ, followed the Haunted Auckland team since 2010, or just recently discovered us; WELCOME and thanks for joining in the fun, learning, and adventures.

We are a dedicated group of paranormal researchers, all having one thing in common – a passion and drive to find out as much as humanly possible about the mysterious and unknown field that is the Paranormal, as well as documenting New Zealand’s historical buildings and landmarks in their current state.

Paranormal (păr′ə-nôr′məl) adjective.
Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as beyond normal experience or scientific explanation. The term “paranormal” has existed in the English language since at least 1920. The word consists of two parts: “para” and “normal”. The definition implies that the scientific explanation of the world around us is “normal” and anything that is above, beyond, or contrary to that is “para”.

We’re always learning new things, so hope to pass that knowledge on to you all so that you might learn as we do, in this crazy but fascinating world of the paranormal.

Our primary reason for existing as a team is to experience first-hand and document any perceived paranormal activity so that we may learn to better understand the phenomena and the misconceptions surrounding it. Our aim as a research team is to study these phenomena as closely as possible to form more educated opinions via experimentation, documentation, and simply being present at the moment to record and respond accordingly to it and wherever it may lead us.

Firstly a few things you should know about Haunted Auckland. We’re a small Auckland based team of friendly, dedicated, well seasoned and enthusiastic researchers with differing levels of experience, knowledge, skills and expertise.  Our investigators are intelligent, honest, compassionate and possess critically thinking (yet wide open) minds. We’re also very good listeners.

We work closely with Property Managers, local Councils and Historical organisations to help preserve local histories, bring further awareness and raise funds by running public events.

In our time, the team has successfully raised many (much needed) thousands of  dollars, to assist with the upkeep and general running of these wonderful historic locations. Something we are very proud of.

We are also very proud to have worked alongside and assist both the NZ Police and NZ Fire Services with our work.

Haunted Auckland has it’s roots deep and strong. Going back to 1984, with a team (Auckland Ghost Hunting Group) formed by H.A founder, Mark Wallbank; making them NZ’s longest running Paranormal field-research entity.

What we aren’t:

We aren’t Ghost Busters, Ghost Hunters, Exorcists, Mediums, Clairvoyants or Psychics and we don’t do clearings, blessings or the ridding homes of alleged demons. We don’t do prayers, rituals, or bring in any religious elements to our work. We aren’t mental health experts or sleep disorder professionals, though we do work closely with mental health professionals.

We travel that spooky road, between sceptic and believer. We are happy to sit right in amongst it all and take the research wherever it may lead us.

While we are sceptical and doubtful of certain cases and ideas, we have seen and experienced enough in our time to realise that dedication to the research is definitely a worthwhile cause. Instead of blindly believing (or disbelieving), or just accepting what we are told is true and real, we prefer to seek out the answers ourselves through first-hand, “boots on the ground” investigation. Experimentation, observation and documentation. We don’t have all the answers and we don’t consider ourselves experts.

The team prides itself in being quite a bit different from other paranormal investigation teams out there. We tend to stay away from the mainstream gadget fads.

Research time in locations is valuable and a privilege, so wasting it on pointless flashy boxes that offer no accurate data in return or are vague and open to interpretation (as well as mis-interpretation) is counter-productive and a poorly used opportunity. Thinking outside of the ‘’box’’ confinements of the popular T.V and social media- lead mainstream is something, the team sees as important if the field is to move forward and gain any serious credibility or traction within scientific or academic circles.

The team utilises a combination of old-school thinking and techniques, coupled with a modern way of thinking. Simple and stripped back yet embracing current technology to work though theories and ideas that may find their way into our research. We don’t make claims we can’t back up with evidence or reliable data.

We pride ourselves in keeping it real. No faking evidence or embellishing of facts. If nothing happened, nothing happened.

Why we don’t offer Clearings and Banishings

We decided many years ago to stop offering clearings and cleansings, as the more we learned, the more unethical (even damaging) we could see it was on a few levels.
We wanted to experience and observe these ”beings” and learn about them. Learn from them directly, if such a thing is possible.
To hopefully interact and document as much as we could of it to advance the study of the paranormal.

If the theories on spirits are correct, then clearing, or ”banishing” becomes nothing more than a punishment, torture, an eviction from a home, or even a death. Death to a person (possibly living in an alternative dimension we are yet to even understand or comprehend), that has as much right to exist as ourselves.
Until ghosts, spirits, negative energies, and demons have been sufficiently verified to actually exist, (to which they as yet haven’t, outside of belief, possible misinterpretation, and superstition) it would be unethical to assume a position of knowledge and superiority enough to think we have rights that far outweigh theirs. That we may enter their home and try to evict or eradicate them as if they were cockroaches or some other household pest.

It’s about respect, understanding and compassion; on both sides.

What we are, is “real world” researchers. Learning by doing. If we don’t know something, we say so.

We don’t charge anything for what we do. The opportunity to investigate a location and hopefully further our research is its own great reward.

We follow the Scientific Method as closely as we are able to; though it’s not always easy to create a fully controlled environment and the fact that true paranormal activity is sporadic and very rare means we don’t always have a lot to go on. Still, we do our best with what we have to work with at the time and go wherever it takes us.

We go to where the stories come from in order to see for ourselves. We talk to the people involved to get their sides to the occurrences.

Our conclusions are never really final and we find multiple return visits yield the best results; so have built up trusting relationships with quite a few locations within the historical communities in this country.

Our clean and respected reputation within historical circles is something the team prides itself on, as it has grown over the last decade and is based on well over 200 investigation sessions within that time.

For a full listing of References & testimonials, please visit our TESTIMONIALS page on this website.

Exploration – Observation – Experimentation – Documentation … Ultimately leading to Interaction, Understanding and Conclusion.

KEEPING IT REAL

Please check out our website and don’t hesitate to make contact if you have any queries or would like to know more about what we do.

We’re always happy to talk about spooks!

Through the years the team have investigated:

Auckland

Wellington

Northland

                                                                    Dargaville Central Hotel

Coromandel

Waikato

Hawkes Bay

Central North Island

  •                                                                Chateau Tongariro Hotel                                                               Jubilee Pavillion – Marton

 

Northern South Island

                                                                                 Trout Hotel

West Coast and Central South Island

  • Seaview Asylum
  • Otira Stagecoach Hotel

Canterbury

  • The Old Shipping Office (Akaroa)

Otago

  • Cardrona Hotel
  • Vulcan Hotel (St Bathans)

Dunedin

United Kingdom

  • The Drovers Inn – Scotland
  • Traquair House – Innerleithen
  • Ancient Ram Inn – Wooton-Under-Edge
  • 30 East Drive – Pontefract
  • Boleskine House – Scotland
  • Ballachulish Hotel – Glencoe
  • Chillingham Castle
  • The Golden Fleece – York
  • Bunchrew House – Scotland
  • Oswald House – Kirkcaldy
  • The Skirrid Inn – Abergavenny
  • Halston Hall – Carlisle
  • Airth Castle
  • Dalhousie Castle
  • Barcaldine Castle – Oban
  • The Witchery – Edinburgh
  • Edinburgh Vaults – Scotland
  • Touchwood House – Scotland
  • Greyfriars Kirkyard – Scotland
  • The Hellfire Club – Ireland
  • Ostrich Inn – Slough
  • Caynton Caves –  Shropshire
  • Four Crosses Inn – Staffordshire
  • Torwood House – Scotland
  • Dalhousie Castle – Scotland
  • Windhouse – Yell, Shetland
  • Swan Hotel – Wooton-on-Edge
  • Weston Hall – Staffordshire
  • Clava Cairns – Inverness, Scotland
  • The Queen’s Head Hotel – Troutbeck
  • Haunted Antiques Paranormal Research Centre – Hinkley

Australia

YHA [Katoomba]

Hartley Village [NSW]

Quarantine Station [Manly]

The Russell Hotel [Sydney]

Maitland Gaol [NSW]

Kilmore Gaol [Melbourne]

Aradale Lunatic Asylum [Melbourne]

 

Hawaii

Kaniakapupu Palace Ruins – Nuúanu Pali – Manoa – Oahu Cemetery [Oahu]

Norfolk Island

New Gaol – The Crank Mill – Bloody Bridge

Cryptozoological Field Research

YOWIE RESEARCH: Blue Mountains [ Australia] – Kanangra Ranges [Australia] – Blue Mountains Exploration: Research Area – Bullaburra [Australia]

MOEHAU RESEARCH: Coromandel Ranges [New Zealand] – Urerewa Ranges [New Zealand]

LAKE MONSTER RESEARCH: Loch Ness [Scotland]

 

… as well as many private home visits around Auckland and surrounding towns and extensive investigation and exploration internationally.

Some of the services and experience we have on offer:

Research and Investigation of buildings, historical locations and businesses

Photo & video analysis

Photographic enhancements

General paranormal consultation

Historical Research

Conferences / Public speaking

Educational talks & fundraising for historical locations

Media interviews