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Lord Combermere Ghost

Lord Combermere Ghost

This photograph of the Combermere Abbey library was taken in 1891 by Sybell Corbet. The figure of a man can faintly be seen sitting in the chair to the left. His head, collar and right arm on the armrest are clearly discernable. It is believed to be the ghost of

Lake House Art Centre – Session Oct 30th 2023

Lake House Art Centre – Session Oct 30th 2023

This was one of many return visits to this very intriguing location, which we have been researching for a few years now. This one proved to be yet another interesting night with a few moments that had us questioning what we thought we knew. We’re quite hopeful with this place,

Whangarei Private Residence

Whangarei Private Residence

The Haunted Auckland team travelled to a small settlement just out of Whangarei to investigate a family’s reports of activity within their home. The area is very old with the road outside the house once having been the main road between Whangarei and Auckland.  The settlement once boasted a courthouse

The Possiblity of Mosasaurs breeding off the New Zealand Coast.

The Possiblity of Mosasaurs breeding off the New Zealand Coast.

Introduction: There have been many encounters with unknown creatures off the coast of New Zealand, with the East coast being particularly favoured. There is a very good reason for this, running parallel to New Zealand’s coastline is the Hikurangi Trench. A deep gouge on the ocean floor, that descends in

Happy National Paranormal Day! – May 3rd

Happy National Paranormal Day! – May 3rd

Happy National Paranormal Day! Cheers to all the hardworking and top-notch teams and researchers out there.

Famous Flora’s Brothel – Pitt St, Auckland City

Famous Flora’s Brothel – Pitt St, Auckland City

Famous Flora’s, one of Auckland’s most colourful and dynamic brothels, had occupied a building on Pitt Street for over 30 years when it closed in 2008. Established by Ron King, it was later taken over by his daughter, Lyn Kingsnorth, and her brother Roy. Kingsnorth remembers dropping in to visit

Lakehouse Art Centre return visit

Lakehouse Art Centre return visit

Another return visit to one of our fav’ local haunts, the LakeHouse Art Centre. Always a pleasure to get back there to try out new experiments, ideas, trigger objects and gadgets and to see if we can recapture activity that occurred during previous research sessions. Here’s a few fun photos

Renovations stir activity in Mangere

Renovations stir activity in Mangere

We currently have tenants living in the upstairs while we renovate upstairs. The things which come to mind are, the toilet flushing for no apparent reason, the stereo going on and off without anyone touching. My husband parked in the driveway at Easter and was upstairs in the house when

Grand Chateau Tongariro Hotel

Grand Chateau Tongariro Hotel

Grand Chateau Tongariro is a New Zealand hotel and resort complex located close to Whakapapa ski-field on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu. It is also close to the volcanic peaks of Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngauruhoe, within the borders of the Tongariro National Park, New Zealand’s oldest national park. The

Spiritual attacks

Spiritual attacks

Spiritual attacks can manifest in many shapes and forms. It can be subtle yet brutal. The fact is most people don’t even know or realize when they are being spiritually attacked. For those who are religious, the concept is very real as nearly every type of religion acknowledges and refers

Editor's Choice
Hunt for the Wilderpeople – Houses
Hunt for the Wilderpeople – Houses29/07/2018Abandoned Buildings / Locations of InterestHunt for the Wilderpeople is a 2016 New Zealand made film written and directed by Taika Waititi, whose screenplay was based on the book Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump. Sam Neill and Julian Dennison play “Uncle” Hector and Ricky Baker, a father figure and son who become the targets of a manhunt after fleeing into the New Zealand bush. Moody problem child from the city, Ricky Baker is sent to live in the remote NZ bush with new foster parents Bella and Hector, two reclusive country folk. When Child Services try to take him back, Ricky refuses, sparking a national manhunt. The unfortunate death of Bella means the inexperienced and intolerant Hector now has to look after Ricky by himself, with great difficulty. Bella’s passing and Hectors inability to be a successful role model, causes Child Services to decide to send Ricky back to the orphanage. Ricky refuses to go and heads into the deep bush; sparking a national manhunt for him and Hector. The film was shot over 5 weeks, in locations including the Central Plateau and the Waitakere Ranges. Almost the entire film was shot using a single camera. Two of the locations I visited were the house that was used as Uncle Hectors rural abode and secondly a run down (but recently renovated) Freemans Bay 1880s Victorian mansion. The house featured as the eventual boarding home Uncle Hec, stayed at towards the end of the film. Hector & Bella’s country home Hector’s eventual home at end of film [...] Read more...
Alien Big Cats in New Zealand
Alien Big Cats in New Zealand10/04/2011Kiwi CryptidsFound this interesting article over on http://naturalplane.blogspot.com . Alien Big Cat (ABCs) are alive and well in New Zealand and the sightings of them are becoming many and frequent. Now, before you really think I’m crazy (more than usual anyway), let me educate you as to what Alien Big Cats are. Alien Big Cats (ABCs, Phantom Cats, Mystery Cats) don’t have anything to do with UFOs (usually anyway). The word ‘alien’ in this context simply means ‘out of place’. ABCs are not creatures unknown to science but are well-known cats which are sighted in unexpected places. Their location creates the mystery, rather than their existence. My ‘need-to-know-bordering-on-obsession’ tendency was aroused yesterday when I read an article about an ABC sighting in our local newspaper… 18-year-old student Carl Swanson is adamant he saw a large lion recently near a quarry in Kaiwaka (Northland, NZ). He is keen to revisit the site but will not do so unless he has a gun. The reporter who wrote the story happens to be my neighbour (no kidding). I spoke with him last night, and he believes Swanson’s story is absolutely genuine. The documented eye-witness reports of ABCs in New Zealand are too numerous to be ignored. All evidence points to the fact that there really are mysterious big-cat specimens roaming the bush and countryside. “How did they get here?”, any sane person will ask. The most probable answer is the accidental release/escape into the wild from zoos, wild-life parks etc. Interestingly enough, Zion Wildlife Gardens is situated just 60km north of where the lion was seen. So, if you ever happen to see a mysterious cat-like creature roaming the New Zealand countryside, think twice before you choose not to believe your eyes, keep a camera ready, and maybe, as Carl Swanson suggests, a gun. Some documented ABC sightings in New Zealand (For extensive information on ABC’s in NZ please visit: Mysterious New Zealand 2008: Lion, Kaiwaka Quarry, South of Whangarei, Northland * 04/08/06: Big Black Cat, Haketere (north side of the Ashburton River Mouth) * 03/05/05: Big Black Cat, Mid Canterbury * 11/10/03: Black Panther, PPCS meatworks in Fairton, 8 km north of Ashburton * 03/10/03: Black Panther Mayfield, 35 kilometres west of Ashburton * 2002: Big Black Puma-like Cat sighted at night in Omaui, south of Invercargill * 2001: Black Panther, Farm at Winterslow, Alford Forest * 1999: Black Panther, Banks Peninsula * 13/12/99: Mountain Lion, Moeraki (or Lake Moeraki) * 16/07/99: Black Panther, Lindis Pass * 08/98: Mountain Lion, Dunstan Ranges, near Cromwell * 1996: Black Panther, Twizel * 1996: Big Black Puma-like Cat sighted at night in Omaui, south of Invercargill [...] Read more...
PUBLIC GHOST HUNTS: Kingseat Maximum Security – Oct 11th & 18th 2014
PUBLIC GHOST HUNTS: Kingseat Maximum Security – Oct 11th & 18th 201411/10/2014Haunted Auckland Events / InvestigationsDue to the great numbers of requests from the general public to attend our investigations, we decided to run a handful of public ghost hunts, so that fans, followers and supporters of the group could get the chance to see what it’s like and get a taste of the paranormal investigation field for a few hours. The first event was at The Pumphouse Theatre in Takapuna. The night was a huge success and further investigation nights were asked for. The team decided to come out of their safety zone yet again, holding an even bigger public event. This time at the Maximum Security buildings of the old Kingseat Hospital complex, now utilised by Asylum Paintball who have been incredibly welcoming and generous in giving the team unlimited access to the building for research and investigation. Two nights in weekly succession were held in October. Each night inviting 40 lucky budding investigators to join the team for a night of education, investigation, food and a lot of fun. Below is some of the wonderfully positive feedback we recieved via the Haunted Auckland Facebook page and a selection of photos from the nights.   It was awesome! Took a ton of photos but didn’t capture anything spook worthy unfortunately. Had a blast though! Thanks Guys and Gals! – Fiona Burry Awesome night. Really enjoyed it would like to do it again sometime. Thank you Mark Wallbank was a great experience. – Lasa Pasese Huge thanks to the whole Haunted Auckland team for last nights experience. Very professional team & set up. – Robert Hogg What an awesome night! Big huge thank you from myself and my partner. Very informative and thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Haunted Auckland you guys rock!! – Mereana Nadine Bourke It was great!! Thanks to the Haunted Auckland team! My sister Emma Hulse, my friend Colin Selby and I all really enjoyed it!! We’ll definitely be back to do another one. –  Vanessa White I had a fantastic night, thank you to everyone that organised it and to all the lovely, friendly ‘ghost experiencers’ in our group – just an awesome experience! – Aimee Peterken It was a great night and was great to meet you all xxxx – Hunting Spirits NZ Awesome night thank you team for the great experience. I’ve been bitten by the paranormal bug now so you’ll be seeing my face at future events – Nicole Alana Had a great time last night…I attended with my bro’n law, and we left wanting more…we enjoyed meeting the team and met a lot of great people in our group…looking forward to the next investigation…thanks a lot Mark, Barbara and Co. – Jonathan Stunnenberg Awesome night….when’s the next?????? – Rebecca Stanley Awesome guys … loved every minute of it and great to see you all again – Maadi-Katrina Underwood Brilliant evening, thank you very much – Can’t wait to come out & play again! – Glenn Haslem Thank You for all for awesome night, Can’t wait for the next one. – Andrea Lefler  I soo enjoyed the experience & will return! – Kos Mum Jakz  Thanks Mark, barb and co for hosting such an interesting night / experience. – Dave Southon  Thanks again for a great night, Vicky, Rebecca, Kim & myself had an awesome time, can’t wait to do it again – Samantha Anstis Was a great night. Thanks for the awesome experience and I will definitely be looking out to join you on more – Corrina Austin  It was a great night!! cant wait for the next one – Highly Intoxciated  Was awesome thanks guys !! – Rebecca Dutchburn October 18th 2014 [...] Read more...
Regent Theatre, Auckland – Two research sessions
Regent Theatre, Auckland – Two research sessions18/09/2015Abandoned Buildings / Historic Buildings / InvestigationsThe team gained access for two research sessions within the long abandoned, dark and powerless, Regent Theatre and Auckland City central, to follow up on our recent exploratory session, with more indepth exploration, documentation and a few communication attempts, before it is demolished to make way for  major development plans. Quite a lot of demolition has been done since our last visit a few weeks back, so we were lucky to get in when we did, before it is all gone. For the second session, more lighting was set up to allow for filming and photography. We were also joined by Joshua and Hinemoa from Hamilton’s Midnight Paranormal for this visit. [...] Read more...
Spirit Attachment Research session
Spirit Attachment Research session30/04/2019Haunted Auckland Updates / Hotels and Businesses / Opinions and TheoriesCan spirits attach themselves to an item or location? Can an object become cursed, possessed or haunted? If one item can hold an energy / curse / entity (in theory), what happens if a whole room is filled with these items? Would that mean a concentration of energy? A clashing of energies? Would entities interact with each other? What happens when curses come near other curses? Would any of the objects affect any team members in any way? Physically, emotionally, psychologically? Would us being there make any difference? Would anything follow us home afterwards? As a collector / paranormal ‘’foster parent’’ of items that seemingly have a haunted reputation and tend to create unwanted fear and tension within the homes they reside, I have long held a fascination for the idea that spirits and various energies can apparently adhere themselves, or be absorbed into the very fabric of a particular item. Perhaps an item can be cursed using some dark magic ritual; be it a personal belonging of the deceased, a car, old furniture, portraits and mirrors, Ouija Boards, wedding dresses, a favourite toy (dolls are a common item) or just some random and unassuming household object that appears to hold something unexplainable within, that somehow creates some overwhelming emotion for anyone holding or near it. Cursed and haunted objects have also been blamed for causing mysterious deaths and suicide. As Paranormal researchers it is something of a duty for us to look into such things. To at least try to filter out the fairy tales from the fact. Claims of allegedly haunted items are a worldwide phenomenon and go back hundreds, even thousands of years. Stories of dolls being possessed by previous owners, walking and talking are common and seem to be a popular form for the spirits to take on as a host. Portraits and people in paintings are said to move; faces appear in mirrors and toys activate on their own; even without batteries. I have to say that in all the years I’ve been collecting and giving these unwanted dolls and things a home, I’ve yet to see anything happen for myself. I will admit I’ve heard scuffling noises and the odd tapping coming from the room, though when I’ve gone in there are no signs of movement and nothing appears to have been disturbed. The team all collectively share a common interest in the idea of haunted or cursed items, so we have set up a project of sorts to try and see first-hand if there might be anything to all the stories and hopefully we’ll get lucky in documenting something interesting in the process. What we needed were items, many many items. Items with age; a history. Items of personal significance or historical family importance. Things with memories and a past life. Valued objects and favourite belongings. Ritualist tools and ceremonial wear, medical equipment, family portraits…..deceased estate artefacts that meant something to the deceased prior. We needed a place that was filled with all these things. A room filled from floor to ceiling and from corner to corner that we could immerse ourselves and some equipment in for a night (hoping for more than one!) seems like a good plan for now and will hopefully aid our research somehow. Maybe. Hey, it’s worth a shot and there’s nothing gained by not giving it ago. After all, the field only moves forward with experimentation, observation, research and documentation. Trial and error etc. So anyway…. the team will be staying overnight in an antique store. Not saying where, as we need to keep this session as controlled as we can, but it’s not just any old antique store. The location has been chosen specifically for it having the potential to be more controlled than many of the others we have looked into. Many of the usual annoying audible and visual contaminants that hinder our recordings and footage should (hopefully) now be eliminated, giving us better potential evidence capturing opportunities. You’ll see what I mean later. We will disclose the location after the investigation. Promise! This Friday night (May 3rd) if you’re interested. Hopefully the signal will be clear on the night and we’ll catch you on a live feed!  – Mark [...] Read more...
The Queen Mary – California , USA
The Queen Mary – California , USA11/03/2011America / InvestigationsReport by Haunted Auckland investigator, Barbara Caisley The Queen Mary is a retired ocean luxury-liner, which had been converted to a floating hotel, conference, and wedding venue and tourist attraction at Long Beach, California. It houses three different restaurants as well as bars and shops and retail areas. It has become an icon of Southern California and is considered to be one of America’s most haunted locations. The ship offers various ghost tours including twilight tours and séances. Construction of the ship began in 1930 in Clydebank, Scotland and Cunard Line spared no expense in the build. As a result by the time she took her maiden voyage in 1936 the Queen Mary  boasted five dining areas and lounges, two cocktail bars and swimming pools, a grand ballroom, a squash court and even a small hospital. Among facilities available on board Queen Mary, the liner featured two indoor swimming pools, beauty salons, libraries, and children’s nurseries for all three classes, a music studio and lecture hall, telephone connectivity to anywhere in the world, outdoor paddle tennis courts, and dog kennels. The largest room onboard was the cabin class (first class) main dining room (grand salon), spanning three stories in height and anchored by wide columns. The cabin-class swimming pool facility spanned over two decks in height. This was the first ocean liner to be equipped with her own Jewish prayer room – part of a policy to show that British shipping lines avoided the racism evident at that time in Nazi Germany. The cabin-class main dining room featured a large map of the transatlantic crossing, with twin tracks symbolising the winter/spring route (further south to avoid icebergs) and the summer/autumn route. During each crossing, a motorised model of Queen Mary would indicate the vessel’s progress en route. Woods from different regions of the British Empire were used in her public rooms and staterooms. Accommodation ranged from fully equipped, luxurious cabin (first) class staterooms to modest and cramped third-class cabins. The ship was thought to have supposed to be named the Queen Victoria as history dictated that ships from the Cunard line had names that ended in “ia”. It is said however, that when the Cunard directors went to ask King George for his blessing of the ship’s proposed name they said “We have decided to name our new ship after England’s greatest Queen,” (meaning Queen Victoria, the King’s Grandmother) and the King is reported to have stated, “My wife (Queen Mary) will be delighted that you are naming the ship after her.” The Queen Mary sailed the North Atlantic Ocean (from Southampton to New York) from 1936 till 1967 and was considered to be the grandest ocean liner in the world and to be the only civilized way to travel. However in late August 1939 the Queen Mary returned to Southampton from New York under escort by the battle cruiser HMS Hood. She set out again for New York on 1 September but by the time the ship arrived in New York, WW2 had started and the Queen Mary was ordered to remain in port until further notice. Later the ship went Sydney, Australia where she, along with the Queen Elizabeth and the Normandie (the three larges liners in the world at that time) were converted into troopships to carry Australian and New Zealand soldiers to the UK. Stateroom furniture and decorations were removed and replaced with triple-tiered wooden bunks, which were later replaced by standee bunks. The wooden interior was covered with leather and the carpet, silver, china and crystal, along with the artwork and tapestries were removed and stored in warehouses.   The ship was also used to transport Winston Churchill across the Atlantic for meetings with the allies and was used to return American troops home after the war. The Queen Mary’s hull, superstructure and funnels were painted navy grey and she became known as the “Grey Ghost”.     She was the largest and fastest troopship and could transport up to 16000 men at a speed of 30 knots. She often travelled unescorted as her speed made it difficult for enemy U boats to catch her. After the war the ship underwent a ten-month refit to be made ready for passenger service again. The Queen Mary initially, once again dominated the transatlantic passenger trade, however when transatlantic flights commenced in 1958 her popularity faded and she was retired from service in 1967. By the time the ship sailed her final crossing from Southampton to Long Beach where she is now moored, the Queen Mary had completed her 1,000th crossing of the Atlantic and had carried 2,112,000 passengers over 6,102,998kms. She was then auctioned off and Long Beach, California beat the Japanese scrap metal merchants to her. The ship was put on a permanent mooring, encased in concrete and converted to house restaurants, office space, a hotel and a museum, which were all owned and managed by different companies. The individual businesses did not do well and struggled financially for many years. Eventually the entire ship was forced to close its doors to visitors and tourists on 31 December 1992. Fortunately in February 1993 the Queen Mary reopened with the City of Long Beach holding the lease. It was to be run as a single entity and although it has had several changes of owners and management it is still open as a tourist attraction, hotel, conference and event centre. The ship is reportedly haunted and this has been part of the promotion and marketing of the attraction, with the Queen Mary now being rated by some as “one of the top 10 most haunted places in America”.   The swimming pool is reputedly haunted by children, visitors have reported the apparition of a young sailor, the sound of young children playing have been heard in the nursery area, shadows have been seen in the corridors and Cabin B340 is allegedly haunted by the spirit of a person who was murdered there. At least 49 crew and passengers are recorded as having died during the Queen Mary’s service as a liner but it is not known how many died aboard the ship during her military service, as this information has not been released. Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures and Most Haunted have all done shows on board. The ship offers ghost tours and séances, which explore the haunted past of the ship and paranormal events, which have been reported onboard. There is also a Haunted Encounters tour, which explores the ship inside and out and tells the ghost stories about the ship. A Personal Recount of My Visit: I have always been intrigued by the Queen Mary and the stories of apparitions, shadows, haunted cabins and especially the alleged paranormal activity around the old swimming pool area. At one time there was a “ghost-cam” set up in the pool area of the ship and I spent many hours over a period of years watching for any possible paranormal activity on that cam. Little did I know that this would become a common activity for me years later as a paranormal investigator! You can imagine my delight then, when I realized that, as part of a trip to the US, my husband and we would have two nights in Los Angeles and that Long Beach with the Queen Mary Hotel was a very short distance away. We booked for two nights and settled into our very comfortable and luxurious cabin and spent the first day exploring the ship with the other day tourists. This was interesting and the audio tour revealed a lot of information and history of the ship.   Later we had dinner in one of the restaurants on board and enjoyed a few drinks in the bar. The great thing about staying in the onboard accommodation was that after everything has shut-up shop and all the tourists and diners had gone for the day the place was almost deserted! It felt like we had the whole ship to ourselves and I was able to spend some time investigating the public areas, corridors and decks. We were investigating an area just off reception when my husband asked me if I felt ok. He said that he had seen an orb shoot out of the wall as I neared it and that it had gone up my arm and then disappeared (as if into me). My husband had never before and has never since seen an orb but he insisted that that was what he had witnessed that night. Interestingly, the reason that I was drawn to that area was because I felt that there was spirit activity there and when we did the ghost tour the following day our guide pointed that area out as being a place where the apparition of a woman had been seen! The following day we did the ghost tour which included a tour of the engine room and the bowels of the ship (which included seeing the propeller which is still in the water but is enclosed by concrete). There have been reports of the apparition of a young sailor seen there. It is thought it may be the ghost of a young seaman who was crushed in one of the engine room doors. We saw the corridors where shadows have been reported and went into the cabin that is reputedly haunted. The highlight of the tour for me was going into the swimming pool area where the cam that I had spent so much time watching had once been set up. The cam had been taken down months earlier as a result of the public tours commencing. To see this area in person seemed incredible to me and I was shocked to find that I actually knew more about this area, the history and reported activity than the tour guide did! The tour guide informed us that a medium had recently advised them that there was a portal in the old dressing room area and told us that if we wanted to, we could go and take some photos of that area. The only problem was, that there were no lights there so it was literally pitch black. Most of the tour group were reluctant to go near the darkened area and once a few of us had got to the dark doorway the group stood peering into the black. Of course the paranormal investigator in me came out and I was first in and to the end where the portal was reported to be. A couple of my fellow tourists followed me down but did not linger and I soon found myself alone in the pitch black area of the Queen Mary pool area where the spirit children supposedly came from!!! This was absolutely my idea of heaven and I really did think that nothing could top that experience of my visit to the Queen Mary. Little did I know that that would actually pale by comparison later that day! I was hoping that if I stayed there quietly that I would not be missed and that I might actually get left behind in this area but unfortunately the tour guide urged me to come out so he could relock the doors and we could move onto the next part of the tour. The group continued with the tour and walked through restaurants and bars while hearing stories of apparitions and paranormal activity. Once the tour was over we were once again able to wander the boat ourselves and after a shopping trip to LA we continued our inspection of the ship. This time we concentrated on the forward section and discovered something interesting. We were in a retail area and at the back of the shop was a set of double blackout curtains, which seemed to be covering a large hole (double doorway size). Being a naturally inquisitive person (and with no staff apparently in the area) I put my head through the curtains and found that the scene was familiar. It was a corner of the locked swimming pool area!!! I could not help myself, and was through those curtains before even thinking!! If I was amazed at being in this area earlier that day, I was absolutely ecstatic to have the whole lot to myself to explore at my leisure!!! I spent at least an hour in the darkened area just looking, feeling, sensing and trying to talk to any spirits that may have been there. Unfortunately due to the clandestine nature of my visit I didn’t dare take photos in case the flash of my camera was detected and alerted staff to my presence in the locked area. When it was time to leave I was mildly worried that my departure through the curtains and into the store may be detected but once again there was no one (not even a staff member) in the store so my escape was easy. Unfortunately this retail area was closed that night when I tried to return so I had to once again cruise the halls, restaurants and decks in my search for paranormal activity. The following morning I talked to staff onboard the ship and most (but not all) had a ghostly story to tell. Some told of shadows and apparitions, while others told me about cutlery being thrown and chairs being moved, another told me of footsteps being heard where no-one was seen. It was with great sadness that we left the Queen Mary and with even more sadness now when I recall my explorations and encounters at a time when I only had the most basic of equipment. I will return to visit this grand and elegant ship one day and this time I’ll bring my equipment! Barbara Caisley [...] 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 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 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