Cedric the Ghost, Powell Hut – Tararua Forest Park

Cedric Wilson, a keen Tararua hunter who went missing in 1945 somewhere near Mitre, is thought to be haunting a small isolated tramper’s hut deep within the Tararua Forest Park.
The hut was built by the Hutt Valley Tramping Club in 1939 and has been used by many hunters and hikers as a safe haven when the weather turns or when anyone needs shelter or sleep while out in the wilderness. It is named after Ian Powell, a pioneering Tararua tramper and founding member of the Hutt Valley Tramping Club.
Due to the harsh weather conditions in the ranges and the ridge’s exposure to frequent gale-force winds, the hut has been rebuilt and strengthened numerous times over the years. It burned down in 1999 and was replaced in 2000. Powell Hut version four, which stands today, was completed in 2019.
These days, the hut has grown into a serviced 32-bunk escape nestled on the beautifully scenic bush line of Mt. Holdsworth.
When Cedric went missing in 1945, some friends went looking for him. They stayed at Powell Hut. That night, they claimed to have ”felt his presence” and suffered a very restless night. Soon after, another group staying in the hut reported the same experiences. These stories fuelled the rumours that eventually gave birth to the legend of Cedric the Ghost. With these stories circulating, the Hutt Valley Tramping Club decided to prank a group of scouts.
One afternoon, one of the group members, dressed in a sleeping bag liner, hid on a track above the hut, waiting for the scouts to return. When they arrived at base camp, the man ran swiftly across the track in front of them before running to hide and sneaking back to the hut to act like he was unaware of what had just happened. The scouts were visibly terrified and shaken at what they had seen, telling the others how they had just seen a ghost.
It hasn’t been all pranks, though. Numerous people who stayed the night in the hut have reported unexplained happenings. In the coming years, trampers made reports. One stated seeing the door open and watching someone accompanied by a small dog come into the hut and settle by the fire. The following day, they were gone, leaving no signs.
Some have even fled the hut in the early hours due to the intense and terrifying activity, while others report their experience with Cedric being peaceful and non-threatening.
Activity ranges from unexplained noises to footsteps on creaky floorboards, doors opening with no one there, and knocking on walls. Clothing hanging on a drying line suddenly started wildly swinging with no apparent cause. One hiking couple staying the night was woken around 2 a.m by someone banging on the door. Leaping up to see who it was, they found that the night air was cold and silent, and no one was there.