The Haunted Auckland website started off as an offshoot to another NZ Paranormal site which Mark Wallbank has run since 2008 and is still in action today. An archival based blog of strange news and research material, sourced nationally and internationally and updated semi regularly, called BIZARRENZ.
An eclectic and popular site gaining many followers, dedicated to all that is weird and unexplained. Focussing primarily on events in New Zealand, as well as encompassing the wider, weirder global happenings. UFOs, Cryptozoology, Ghosts, exopolitics, the paranormal and everything else that is out of the ordinary.
During the Xmas holidays of 2009, Mark decided that it was time to get back into a group situation as he had spent the previous 15 years carrying out paranormal research by himself.
I admit I’m a bit of a solitary soul sometimes and like to do things by myself. Even though I have a full group these days, I still go out by myself to investigate and look into urban legends. It’s just something I enjoy doing. Solo or in a group, either is good.
‘Haunted Auckland’, the name, was thought up sometime in 2009 as Mark was tossing ideas around in his head about which direction he should take his research in the future.
During his work holidays, in a moment of boredom, he created the first version of the Haunted Auckland website.
It was a free and very simple to use, copy-and-paste one hosted by Weebly.com, but it worked ok and was a good starting point while he continued to spread the word around looking for members to form a team.
This took a while.
There were many people wanting to join, but none that I felt had the right attitude, passion or experience I was looking for.
Whilst looking, he joined up with another group, Ghosts of Auckland.
I figured that slotting myself into another, recently established group, might be easier than forming my own. I was wrong. The old saying, “If you want something done right, do it yourself” kicked me back into action and I moved back into scouting out potential team members to complete the full Haunted Auckland/ Paranormal New Zealand package.
One of the first team members to join up was Matthew.
Right away I could see this guy had motivation, enthusiasm and some good skills that could be utilised within a successful research group.
As soon as Matthew had his ‘foot in the door’ he was busy redesigning the website and creating a new a fresh look for the group.
Since his first version, he has altered the look and structure a couple of times. Each time adding more functions (to cater for the large quantity of archived material we had amassed through the years), faster ease of operation and building the online profile of the research team.
In the following years the website has grown greatly in content and readership as we transfer much of the articles, news and data from BizarreNZ across to the H.A site, as well as incorporating articles and research material from our connected associates around the globe.
A full investigation report section to bring our audience in on our journeys and findings, team profiles, an ongoing and constantly growing archive of news articles, documents, photos, video as well as reference information on everything UFO, cryptid and ghost related.
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