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We’re NZ’s Real Life Mulder and Scully – Spooks

We’re NZ’s Real Life Mulder and Scully – Spooks

We’re NZ’s Real Life Mulder and Scully AUG 09, 2008 5:00AM Just like Mulder and Scully in the popular TV series The X-Files, Kiwi investigators Mandy and Adam Lancaster try to uncover the truth behind spooky happenings and scary events. But they ended up experiencing their own spine-chilling supernatural story

Lake House Art Centre – Recent information – A possible early encounter with Patty?

Lake House Art Centre – Recent information – A possible early encounter with Patty?

We had an interesting new piece of information come our way today which we found eerie, but fascinating to hear. It’s interesting how, the more time you spend at a research location and the more digging and networking you do with those familiar with a location, the more data surfaces,

Project Puhinui: Session Two – Puhinui House, Howick Historical Village

Project Puhinui: Session Two – Puhinui House, Howick Historical Village

Session Two: 2nd April 2016  –  Duo overnight vigil by Barbara & Karen. People have reported seeing the apparition of a woman walking up the stairs of the house. The mirror in the main bedroom has been seen moving and sometimes swivels around overnight. A friend of a staff member

The Ghosts of Adelaide Botanic Gardens

The Ghosts of Adelaide Botanic Gardens

In 1852 the Adelaide Lunatic Asylum opened its doors. Built on land overlooking the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, the asylum served its intended purpose for fifty years, before patients were moved to the new Parkside Lunatic Asylum. Do any of the past patients still call the location home? The Colonial Public

The 10 Commandments of Paranormal TV

The 10 Commandments of Paranormal TV

Would it be possible – just once will be fine! – to see a supernatural, paranormal or Fortean-themed “Reality TV” show that offers the viewer at least a bit of originality? It’s almost like there’s a book that all the writers, directors and producers consult before they lazily crank out

Mercer Cemetery – Waikato

Mercer Cemetery – Waikato

Vacated in haste – North Shore

Vacated in haste – North Shore

 

Lake House Art Centre session

Lake House Art Centre session

Out investigating again this weekend. Keeping busy and staying active as usual, on this chilly Friday night. We returned to one of our fav’ local haunts for some further experiments and another five or so hours sitting in the dark talking to the air (and each other, of course). The

Private Home, Pukekohe

Private Home, Pukekohe

The team was called in urgently to look into the strange occurrences regularly going on in this unassuming suburban household that were terrifying the children and disrupting family life.

The Lake Pupuke Monster

The Lake Pupuke Monster

Lake Pupuke is a heart-shaped freshwater lake formed around 140,000-150,000 years ago, occupying a volcanic crater between the suburbs of Takapuna and Milford, on Auckland’s North Shore. The heart shape is a result of a formation by the linking of two circular craters. In Maori folklore, a myth surrounding the

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Private Residence, Herne Bay
Private Residence, Herne Bay04/01/2013Private ResidencesHaunted Auckland were asked to help a family who were having problems at their home in Herne Bay. The family had moved into the house earlier in the year and had initially not noticed anything unusual. However within a few months odd things started happening. Strange unexplained noises were heard. A television was turned on during the night, items that had been on shelves overnight were found on the floor the next morning and both of the occupants cars were constantly having their batteries drained. The oven door opened while people in the kitchen had their backs turned and footsteps were heard in the home by various people but no-one could be seen. The nanny reported seeing a man move through the kitchen while minor renovation work was being done at the house. However the workman was actually upstairs at the time and there was no-one in that area where the man had been seen. The lady of the house reported several glimpses of a small white figure moving in the hallway/kitchen area. Haunted Auckland conducted 2 full all-nighter investigations on January 4th and 6th, plus a 3rd day for a cleansing ritual on January 26th, in this Herne Bay home. Members that attended the investigations: Mark, Barbara, Kris, Heather, Matthew, Kel and Lisa This beautifully kept house is about 40 years old and in its time has been extended and remodeled into a sun-catching mansion. We were told that there was once a lot of children in the house as the now lounge was originally a dormitory. This was the reason there are power points every few metres around the large room. Downstairs has a storeroom, a large cupboard under the stairs, double garage, foyer, hallway, playroom, large lounge, guest room, toilet, bathroom and laundry. First floor has a huge master bedroom, two children’s bedrooms, a large toilet/bathroom, hallway and sunroom/bedroom. There is crawl space under the house. Kris – “It deserves to be mentioned: There is a cell phone tower just outside the property boundary. I didn’t notice it when looking around, but snapped one in a picture. It is on the northern side of the property. Didn’t check EMFs as I didn’t know it was there, until afterwards.” Alleged Activity The T.V turns itself on in the lounge in the middle of the night. The owners have had to get up and turn it off numerous times. The two family cars have both been having regular battery drains and usually on the weekend. While the children were away for the weekend, Christmas presents were taken from a shelf in the storeroom and left on the floor. The Mother has seen a figure, which she says, is the size of a child in the foyer/hallways around the kitchen area. She also has seen movement through the frosted glass in the hallway. She has seen this several times. Both adults in the house report hearing footsteps when there is no one there. The little boy is very fearful at night and has frequent nightmares. There are always noises heard around the house, but due to the size of the building and the fact that there are neighbours, a reserve and a Petanque club quite close, it is impossible to ascertain where the noises are coming from. Experienced by team member Barbara, whilst working in the house… Saw a figure (for some reason thought it was a man in black) walk past kitchen door and then through kitchen (I saw him move through the kitchen through the frosted glass wall in the hallway). Oven door opened while I was in the room but not looking. (This was accompanied with the same feeling I get in the spare room ie like someone is there but is keeping so still and just watching.) While sitting with two children in the playroom (the other was in the lounge) I heard footsteps of an adult wearing hard shoes in the foyer/hallway. They continued for a couple of minutes before I realized that they were not right. (Just thought it was the child who had been in the lounge!!) Called out and the steps stopped. Upon checking it turned out that none of the children had been there and that the little boy who was sitting with me had also heard the steps. We checked the area but nothing could be found. I personally get a feeling that the storeroom, hall/foyer and spare room have something there. The storeroom and spare room in particular I have to sometimes make myself go into them as I go about my daily duties. Daughter’s bed often looks like someone has sat on the end of it. I straighten in up and often (sometimes several times in a day and other times once a week) it will be mucked up. First Session Luna Cycle: Half moon waning Weather: It was a clear and crisp night. Mild and fine, with rain the night before. Stars were visible all night. Calm with minimal wind. Second Session Luna Cycle: Full Moon Weather: Windy, overcast. No rain Cleansing Session Average Temp on 26 Jan was 19.4C (Min:14.8C, Max:24.0C) Average wind speed 9.6km/h, gusting to 15.8km/h  Temperature Readings Interior temperatures were noted at quarterly intervals. We experienced no overly exciting temperature fluctuations at either investigation at any time except for a very slight one or two degree drop as the night went on into early morning. Coldest rooms were the downstairs areas. Kitchen and garage at 18 degrees. Warmest was upstairs in the children’s and parent’s bedrooms, 20 degrees maximum. Heather – “Parts were hot and stuffy (the spare room downstairs when the door was closed) The house cooled down during the night, like any other house.”   First Impressions Barbara – “The house had an empty, lonely feeling to it. The spare room and the storeroom are the two rooms in the house that I don’t like having to go into. They always feel really artificially still, like someone is hiding and watching. I have seen something in the kitchen and have heard someone walking around in the foyer and hallway on the ground floor. The storeroom has a spooky feel to it.” Kris – “Non-Psychically, first impression was: ‘oh look, another Ex-State House turned into a mansion’. First impression was a tad over-whelmed, but I think most of that was down to the huge entry way. By state house, I should clarify, I don’t just mean Housing Department houses. They can also be institutional, like army, school and dam building, state built places.” Heather – “It was bit of a weird place with the addition of the lounge and the upstairs floor. You could still see the older part of the house in the garage, storage room and spare room under the stairs. It would be nice if we could find a photo of the original place to see the difference. Maybe one day we will.” Matt – “Felt like a reasonable modern home. Was surprised to learn the original building was quiet old, as the modifications have been extensive.”   Investigation / Experiences Mark – “Whilst conducting a communication session in the little girl’s room, I was suddenly alerted to hear, quite clearly, someone walking down the hallway towards the room I was in. I assumed it was Barbara or one of the team coming to check on me, but suddenly realized that I hadn’t heard any of the stairwell floor boards creaking as they always do very loudly when someone ascends the stairs. I could hear the footsteps coming closer, so stood up and peaked through the door to see who it was. There was no one there. It was very clearly the sound of someone walking along the carpeted hall way. I asked if there was anyone there. Received no reply on my audio recorders when reviewed. I then rushed downstairs to ask if anyone had just been up there. No one was.” “One other incident that I found rather exciting. I had been up in the daughter’s bedroom taking photos and setting up some equipment. I took a photo of her bed and noticed that the little red folded duvet on the end of it was messy, so tidied it up and smoothed it out. I then went downstairs to join the others. 10 minutes later I went back upstairs to check on the I.R lamp and video camera and was shocked to see that the duvet on the bed had been messed up again. There was a big indentation on it, like someone had just been sitting on it. No one had been up there in the 10 minutes I had left the room. I flattened it out again and positioned a static video camera aimed at it for the rest of the night. Typically, the activity never happened again that night. There was no cat in the house, which might’ve explained it.”     Mark was sitting alone in the boys bedroom attempting some sort of communication. This interesting EVP was captured on audio recorder we are unsure as to whether this is the same voice repeating itself, or perhaps two voices saying ‘hello’ in unison. The audio was not heard by Mark at the time. However it seems that Barbara heard voices at that moment as she was coming up the stairs, to which she reacted. [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/73956755″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /] Lisa – “While alone in this area (approx 21:00) heard a distinct rustling sound from near the door leading into the garage about where the night vision camera was first placed (on the shelf). Initially thought this was rodent activity but no obvious evidence of rodents found.” “Also, while the whole group was doing an EVP session and I was closest to the door leading to the main living/kitchen areas, heard what sounded like metallic impacts/clunks. These could have been from the oven or the baking tray cooling. Also heard what I would describe as a “movement” pressure right outside the door on the living room side.” Kris – “E.M.F (Electromagnetic field) levels seemed rather high all round, but there are a lot of cables in the walls, based on the amount of power sockets there are in the house. EMF meter jammed and malfunctioned every time I was in the parent’s room. And I mean EVERY time, where as this didn’t happen anywhere else. I mainly focused on doing E.V.Ps, with 2 recorders, as this is what I like to concentrate on. Got one outstanding hit in the parent’s room, which I think is cool, because this is where my EMF was going nuts. I caught a few other interesting results; however, none of it seemed intelligent, or relevant to questions asked.” [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/3210953″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /] The following is the same sound filtered and reversed. [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/76021983″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /] Barbara – “As I walked down the ground floor hallway I heard something rustle loudly either in the spare room or laundry but I could not find anything to cause this. There was several times throughout the night that I could hear someone moving but when I checked discovered that there was no one in the area. While doing the clearing water droplets twice appeared on the little girl’s bed.” Kris – “I didn’t really get much, to be honest. Downstairs, I got nothing. Just the general feel (and this by no means meant to down grade the place, as it was fabulously set out) of a 50 year old tart dressing up like Miley Cyrus. Upstairs I noticed a difference, and that had nothing to do with what Barb was saying.” “Upstairs, I mentioned that in the Parent’s Bedroom, I felt like I was being drawn up from inside my eye sockets. That surprised Barb, as she got nothing in there. The other place I had feelings, was in that room in the corner, I think maybe the babies room. One other place that made me feel different when I walked in, was the laundry. It made me feel awkward and off balance. There is a 1cm drop in height between the hallway and the laundry, which was enough to make a difference, but not enough to make a real difference. Even when I knew about this drop, purposefully checking out the drop, it always made me feel off balance and awkward. I don’t know if there are any claims regarding this room, but would seriously take this step into  Heather – “When I was by myself in the spare room I thought I could hear voices, but it was probably some of the rest team talking as the house seemed to echo a bit, or the neighbours. Also heard some jingling which we worked out later to be my bracelet.”consideration in relation to it.” Matt – “There was a noise in the fireplace. May have been a stick dislodging from the tree outside and coming down the chimney.” 27/01/2013 Seated at dining table 05:09 Upstairs recorder dies 05:11 (Approx) Tingly / goosebumps feeling in my right and then left thigh and knees 05:11  Commenced an EVP setting at 05:11 as noted above after feeling the cold spot. Did not pick up any of the shuffling noises I heard and no other anomalies were picked up. 05:12 Air feeling colder around me 05:14 Shuffling noise from kitchen or entrance area at the bottom starts. Sounded like skin on skin or fabric 05:15 – 05:45 Possible movement upstairs (Note: Barbara was upstairs during this time in the master bedroom, so the noises could have possibly been her)   Trigger Tests The team conducted many trigger tests throughout the two part investigation. Children’s toys were offered, Electromagnetic field generators were used, magnetic ball bearing tests etc. Kris – “Did torch tests, asking it to turn them on and asked for entities to come closer to be noticed by EMF testers. Didn’t get anything obvious enough to say. Maybe 100 milligause fluctuations when it would be more normal to have fluctuations of about 50 milligause.”   Summary Barbara – “I was extremely surprised that we got so much upstairs!! I have always thought that the bulk of the activity happens downstairs. The mother has also told me that they have never had anything happen upstairs so I think she may be a little shocked when she finds out about the footsteps, EVP recordings and photos captured upstairs. I do spend most of my time downstairs so that explains why I hadn’t noticed much happening upstairs, but she sleeps up there.” “Personally, I know it’s an intelligent haunting. I am now thinking that it is a male spirit who may be having the owner of the house on by pretending to be a child when it shows itself. Even if I hadn’t known a lot about the house to begin with I think I would still say it’s an intelligent haunting. Both Lisa and I, at different times and in different places, heard a rustle as we approached an area, which indicates that something was either playing with us or trying to get out of the way. Kris’s EVP capture was very interesting and the footsteps that Mark heard were of interest.” “Also all the random noises that we all heard around the house that night, to me indicated that there was someone there and moving around. Whoever it was seemed aware we were there and was able to interact when it chose to. I enjoyed the investigation at this private home. I was surprised at the level of activity seemingly in all areas of the house! I think the only places we didn’t have something happen was the garage, playroom, lounge/dining, bathrooms, laundry and in the boy’s room.” “As the house was so large it took teamwork to cover the whole area although we did manage to get together as a group and do a few group EVP sessions in the wee hours of the morning. I think between us we managed to use a lot of equipment. The draining of the car batteries – Lisa felt the story about the Volvo car battery could be debunked by a very common issue with this model car. However the other car does not appear to have the same weakness.” Lisa – “I felt and heard nothing to suggest any paranormal activity for certain.” Heather – “I’m not sure if the place is haunted, but the young boy that lives there was very frightened when sleeping in his room and would wake up. Maybe there is something residual from the past occupiers. But we are not sure when the second floor was added, or where it came from. Did something come with it? The same with the lounge when it used to be the dorm, there’s history to it and maybe there is something still lingering from that time.” “It was an interesting place to stay in, wish I could find more history about the place as it may help answer some questions. The sensitive’s were feeling and sensing a lot more than I felt. I would like to go back and spend some more time there and see if there have been any changes since the cleansing.” Kris – “I think the investigation went well. I don’t think the place is intelligently haunted. I think this is a case of a little bit of residual haunting, solid walls and creaky floorboards, and maybe a bit of discomfort due to living near the cell tower. Maybe sounds have been heard, discomfort felt and everything gets put down to being the ghost. However, I don’t exactly know what the kids say about what happens. I think once folks get scared, some things are drawn to that fear, as dogs and sharks are.” “I also think, it would be worth trying to find out what was at Salisbury park, before it was a park. That might give some insight to what this house actually was built for. This is a back section house, joined onto a park, which is another back section park. Often, these parks are created by the demolition of old institutional buildings (no I don’t just mean mental) are no longer needed.” Mark – “Whilst I did hear what I’m sure were footsteps coming up the hallway towards me and the duvet movement in the daughters room were fantastic to experience at the time, I still don’t feel that I could label this place as ‘haunted’ just yet. More time needs to be spent in the house. I think continuous multi surveillance camera filming would be the way to go in this situation as the activity seems to be happening quite regularly, but randomly, making it all very elusive and difficult to document. If it is in fact haunted, then for now I’d be leaning more towards a residual haunting than an intelligent and interactive one.” Matt – “It was quiet, other than the brief flurry of activity around 05:00 things were relatively settled. The datalogger on my phone was logging 3-axis magnetic field reading at regular intervals while sitting stationary in the hallway upstairs where the footsteps were heard.” “There were 3 spikes during the evening, however these do not appear to correlate with any other activity. Video recorder covered the kitchen and through to the small lounge. No noticeable audio or visual anomalies. Other than the random cold-spot (could feasibly be caused by airflow from some of the floor vents, or my body/mind playing tricks on me), I did not detect anything which I could conclusively say pointed towards a haunting at the property.” [...] Read more...
Mangawhai – Paranormal overnight Camp-out (3 Teams)
Mangawhai – Paranormal overnight Camp-out (3 Teams)14/11/2015Haunted Locations / Investigations / Private ResidencesNovember 14th, 2015. Haunted Auckland headed back to this beautiful, yet allegedly haunted slice of bush land, for a third overnight visit for further exploration. This time, we were joined by members from two other teams; Midnight Paranormal and Whangarei Paranormal Society. [...] Read more...
St James Theatre, Wellington
St James Theatre, Wellington02/12/2016Haunted Locations / InvestigationsThere are numerous ghosts reported to haunt this beautifully kept and much loved, iconic theatre. The St James Theatre was opened on Boxing Day, 1912. During the theatre’s first months, it was used primarily to play silent movies, but was later adapted to present live performances as well. The St. James has had a long history, with its success in its early years, a near demolition in the 1980’s and to its return to the city’s cultural light in the late 1990’s. One of the more regular sightings is the ghost of Yuri, a Russian performer who supposedly fell, or jumped from the fly-floor above the stage, to his death, although another claim is that he was pushed by another Russian performer, an actress named Pasha. It is said that Yuri was infatuated with one of the dancers, who avoided his advances in favour of a theatre electrician. It is not known whether he committed suicide out of despair from rejection, was pushed, or simply fell accidentally. Yuri has been encountered playing with the lights; in particular, switching them all back on again once the theatre has been locked up for the night. A theatre projectionist reckons Yuri has saved his life twice whilst working in the theatre. While searching for the light switch one night when the lights suddenly went out in the auditorium, the man claims he was pushed backwards by what he believed was Yuri. When the lights turned back on, it was then he realised he was standing only inches from the deep orchestra pit, and if not pushed back, would’ve fallen in causing serious injury or even death. Another terrifying incident was when the man was standing on stage with his infant son. Suddenly, a beam overhead collapsed and fell. The projectionist was pushed backwards by an unseen force, with his son carried about 3 metres through the air. The man believes it was Yuri that saved them that evening. There is also the ‘Wailing Woman’, a frequent apparition who is said to wail and moan in the dark of night. The story goes that the woman, a struggling actress, was booed off’stage one night. She took it hard and committed suicide that night, by slitting her wrists. it is thought that is it her ghost that causes many of the unfortunate accidents and mishaps around the theatre as vengeance. other actresses have suffered sprained ankles, falls from ladders and steps, and sudden colds and throat infections, rendering them unable to perform or sing properly, or at all. Even prolific film maker, Peter Jackson has made claims of encountering the mysterious Wailing Woman, many years ago, standing at the foot of his bed in his apartment which was situated across from the St James Theatre. The alleged ghost of Stan Andrews is also supposed to be residing within the theatre and is often heard wheezing as he lurks around the backstage corridors during performances. An unknown tall, thin man, aged about thirty has been seen in the theatre numerous times outside of performance times. Even more intriguing, though highly unlikely, is talk of an entire boys choir, also said to haunt the theatre. The current story regarding this, is that the choir played their last song at the St. James Theatre during Second World War, before heading off on tour by boat. No more was ever heard from the boys again, and the ship never reached its destination. Staff often hear their music emanating from up in the stands. [...] Read more...
Howick Historical Village: Solo Overnight Sessions – Lisa in Eckfords Farm Homestead.
Howick Historical Village: Solo Overnight Sessions – Lisa in Eckfords Farm Homestead.29/03/2018Historic Buildings / InvestigationsOn this night Mark, Barbara, Marlene, Sam and Lisa spent the night sleeping / investigating solo within the village. Each team member staying alone in one of the many buildings. Just themselves and whatever equipment or techniques they might choose to utilise that night for their investigation. Sam in the little Church House, Barbara in the Court House, Lisa in Eckford’s Maraetai Homestead, Mark in Johnson’s Cottage (Children’s toy room) and Marlene getting her turn at staying solo in the very intriguing Puhinui Homestead. This is Lisa’s report on her overnight stay in Eckfords Farm Homestead. Eckfords Farm Homestead was built in 1851 and belonged to Thomas Eckford and his family on their 368-acre farm at Maraetai. The Couldrey family purchased the farm in 1877 and enlarged the original four-roomed cottage by adding verandas on three sides. Eleven years later a small post office was added to the building to serve local families in the area, for which the Couldreys received 30 shillings a year. The farm was then subdivided in 1916 and the house sold to Ian Strachan, whose son Graham donated it to the Howick and Districts Historical Society in 1977. The cottage underwent restoration fairly recently. The village applied to the Foundation North for funding and was granted “a generous” $137,000 to help complete the project. The project was carried out by Historic Building Specialists. They were able to add the rebuilding of the post office and patio area at the rear of the building into the scope of work. The Howick Historical Village board has now set up the homestead with at textile and sewing area. This was a very important occupation that women did back in the day. They would knit the socks, patch socks and darn the holes. Warm, still and clear Full moon (or close to full) Building temp on arrival – 22ºC Temperature Outside – Around 19ºC This particular night was solo night. All the team were staying in various cottages or buildings at the site. I arrived at the site about 8 pm. The team walked around the village and in and out of buildings to get a feel for the different places; we discussed which buildings we’d like to spend the night in. I choose Eckfords Farm Homestead. I knew from a previous Haunted Auckland visit to Howick Historical Village, that an EVP had been captured there. The EVP was an electronic sounding female voice saying, “white dress”. The team believed this was possibly connected to one of the mannequins in the room which had recently been changed from wearing a white to blue dress. I was hoping there might be some potential for getting activity or more EVPs or activity. On first entering the homestead, it felt quite cosy, non-threatening. The room had a lot of mannequins representing woman working with textiles. Mannequins for me always make the place feel a little creepy, so that was the only thing I wasn’t too keen on. It was a fairly small cottage with 2 main living rooms separated by a corridor. Another area of the homestead had recently been opened up, this was likely to have been the kitchen area at one time. One room had various mannequins representing women working with textiles and sewing with sewing machines. The other main room had mannequins displaying items of old clothing on display. The recently opened room had various sewing machines and textiles on display. The main room had a really nice original fire place and there were old ornaments and antiques around the room. I decided to set my bed up in the main room by the fire place spent the night.                        Temperatures were fairly constant during the evening. I’m not sure what the temperature was by morning. Overall it was quite warm in the house. My solo time in the homestead started around 2 am, after we had completed around 6 hours of investigation in the nearby Puhinui Homestead. I set up my video camera and recorded a communication attempt. I invited anyone there to talk. I made comments about the house and asked if it was OK that I spent the night there. I asked if they minded all the people visiting the house. Other questions included asking them what they used to do for work, what they used to do for Easter etc. My EVP session lasted about 30 min. but unfortunately I didn’t get any responses to my questions. After taking some photos around the cottage I wrapped up about 3 am to try and get some sleep. I left the voice recorder going all night, but the cottage was quiet (apart from some snoring!). For this particular investigation, I didn’t capture anything to convince me that the cottage is haunted. I felt quite relaxed there and didn’t get any feelings of something there with me or being watched. It was quite a different feeling to being along in Puhinui house. However, in previous investigations some interesting audio has been captured, so I’d be interested in trying a second solo stay there again sometime.     [...] Read more...
Caversham Railway Tunnel – Dunedin
Caversham Railway Tunnel – Dunedin09/06/2022Abandoned Buildings / Haunted Locations / Historic Buildings / Investigations / Locations of Interest / Urban LegendsOn a weekend investigative trip down to Dunedin recently, the team took some time to check out the allegedly haunted and decommissioned Caversham Railway Tunnel, the unfortunate scene of at least three reported deaths. In 1876, a Police Constable Henry Vernon was run down by an oncoming train whilst walking through the tunnel. 1897, 60-year-old farmer, Kenneth Kennedy fell to his death while the train he was on passed through the tunnel. In 1900, Robert Burns, a 26-year-old assistant guard, slipped from a train in the darkness whilst moving between carriages. During the Second World War, the tunnel was repurposed for use as an air-raid shelter. These days, this eerie old railway tunnel sits gated and locked and access isn’t possible.   [...] Read more...
Derelict Church – Fife, Scotland
Derelict Church – Fife, Scotland31/10/2018Haunted Locations / United Kingdom  [...] 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 a Paranormal Investigation and Research group based in Auckland, New Zealand.  It is also an extensive and much-viewed resource site covering all that is paranormal and mysterious in New Zealand and beyond.

Whether you’ve been aware of Mark Wallbank’s research work since the 1980s, attended his early 90s discussion events, received the twice-yearly newsletters, subscribed to his popular mid-2000s online blog BizarreNZ, followed the H.A team since 2010, attended our public events and talks, 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 Paranormal NZ (Formerly Haunted Auckland). We are a small Auckland based team of friendly, dedicated, well seasoned and enthusiastic researchers; intelligent, honest, compassionate and possess critically thinking (yet wide open) minds.

The team has a great mix of beliefs, skills, qualifications, and differing levels of knowledge and experience within the paranormal. This combination creates a balanced and accepting vibe within the team. We’re all learning from each other and sharing approaches, thoughts and ideas together, that, as individuals, we might not have considered previously.

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.

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

Team Evolution Timeline

1984 – Auckland Ghost Hunting Group

Independent / Solo Research

2003 – 2010  – BizarreNZ

2010 – 2023 – Haunted Auckland

Changed team name to Paranormal New Zealand in 2023

What we aren’t:

We aren’t Ghost Busters, Ghost Hunters, Exorcists, Mediums, Clairvoyants or Psychics and we don’t do clearings, blessings or rid 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.

We don’t make bold claims we can’t back up with evidence or reliable data.

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 even 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
  • Lumley Castle – County Durham

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 – Kaneana Cave (Makua Cave)

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