March 16th 2024, the team conducted an overnighter at the iconic and much-loved local, the Manukau Cruising Club.
A 102-year-old establishment that we’d all seen and always wondered about. Turns out it has a few phantom patrons of its own. When we say a ”few”, it appears there are many.
Items move around, shadow figures are seen, doors open and close, voices are heard and the security cameras, that lock on to any movement will regularly catch anomalies and map unseen figures sitting at tables and leaning at the bar.
We turned up at 6 pm and left around 9 am the next morning after a morning briefing with the manager. We stayed up till about 3 am and got a few hours of sleep while cameras recorded through to daylight. Sam and Mark were in the upstairs level and Aimee and Barbara were down in the main Bar /Lounge area. Not the first time we’ve slept on the floor in a bar!
It was an interesting location, that we quite enjoyed spending time in. There was a definite welcoming vibe in the air. We could feel the ”eyes” but it felt peaceful. One of our more fun and relaxed investigation sessions in a while.
There were also a few very intriguing moments we couldn’t figure out at the time, (love it when that happens) so we’ll look at going back for another session.
The stories are wonderful to hear, the staff were friendly and helpful, and well, who wouldn’t appreciate a 180-degree view of the Manukau Harbour to wake up to?!
We agreed it’s worth doing a return visit, maybe even a third. We couldn’t help but feel like there were a few old long-time regulars who were hanging around with stories to tell!
