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North Shore mansion

North Shore mansion

Sam Collier: My opinions on mediums & psychics being utilised within paranormal research & investigations

Sam Collier: My opinions on mediums & psychics being utilised within paranormal research & investigations

I think it’s best to begin answering this question with my honest understanding and general opinions of both Mediums and Psychics. I believe a Medium is someone whom strictly believes that they can communicate with the spirits of the deceased, often acting as a bridge to which the dead can

Origin of Hawke’s Bay ‘UFO’ finally revealed

Origin of Hawke’s Bay ‘UFO’ finally revealed

An object that mysteriously smashed through the roof of a house near Hastings, forcing a light plane to land for a mechanical check, apparently came from a wood-splitter. The incident occurred about a month ago when a Whakatu resident called police and said a chunk of iron had ended up

Gordonton Cemetery – Waikato

Gordonton Cemetery – Waikato

Gordonton Cemetery is a small rural cemetery next to St Mary’s Church in Gordonton, Waikato.

Abandoned neighbourhood annoyance

Abandoned neighbourhood annoyance

 

The Trout Hotel – Canvastown

The Trout Hotel – Canvastown

History Canvastown,  the home of the Trout Hotel, is 50 kilometres west of Blenheim, is a locality at the point where the Wakamarina River joins the Pelorus River, in Marlborough. Named after all the miner’s thick canvas tents that were set up all over the land, the town was founded

Paranormality: The Science of the Supernatural by Richard Wiseman

Paranormality: The Science of the Supernatural by Richard Wiseman

I set a New Years resolution to read more books related to the paranormal and parapsychology and I’m keeping it! Based upon a recommendation from Sarah Chumacero in her LLIFS – Paranormal Blog, I purchased this book and love it! He covers the science behind why people believe in paranormal phenomena

UFO website will record mysterious encounters

UFO website will record mysterious encounters

By Errol Kiong Scientists are welcoming a new website that encourages people to record their UFO sightings. Veteran Hamilton air traffic controller and pilot Graeme Opie is behind the UFO Focus New Zealand Research Network, which aims to document sightings of unidentified objects in the sky. He says the network

Private Residence, Herne Bay

Private Residence, Herne Bay

Haunted 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.

Rotorua UFO ‘sighting’ goes viral on YouTube

Rotorua UFO ‘sighting’ goes viral on YouTube

Sightings of unidentified flying objects in Rotorua skies have sparked an online discussion about paranormal activity in the Bay of Plenty. A video uploaded to YouTube claims to have images of UFOs above Rotorua. It has had more than 131,500 hits since being uploaded by someone with the username Horsefarmer1000.

Editor's Choice
Newcastle Ghost Stories – Book by Renata Daniel
Newcastle Ghost Stories – Book by Renata Daniel11/06/2016Ghost Hunting / Haunted Auckland Updates / Haunted Locations / Hauntings / Opinions and TheoriesWhen I travelled over to Aussie recently for the Paracon event weekend, my suitcase weighed in at 26 kgs. That’s 3 kgs over the New Zealand legal limit. Most of that weight was my own books, in a box, to be sold (hopefully) at the Paracon bookstore. I sold a good few, which was awesome; but on reaching the airport check-in counter to head back home, my suitcase again weighed more than the legal requirement! 26 kgs, again? Why? I’d off-loaded quite a few good kgs of printed dead trees to the keen, info-hungry paranormalist Aussies. Reason, I’d picked up a few more book goodies from the para-tables, laden with a juicy assortment of paranormal books, Ghosthunters International t-shirts and Bobbleheads… yes, Bobbleheads. I’ll endevour to write up a little something when I find time to get through them all. Chuffed to pick up some real goodies though. The newer Thylacine collab’ book from Mike Williams and Rebecca Lang and a host of other very knowledgeable cryptid researchers, looks like a good read ! Well, on the final day of Paracon (boo!) as the last few minutes fizzled and the tired but happy crowds parted ways and the packing up began, I finally got to meet Renata Daniel for a quick hug, chat and mutual book sign / swapsie. Glad to grab an autographed copy of Renata’s new book Newcastle Ghost Stories. A sequel of sorts, to her very successful part one book, which I missed out on. Here’s hoping there’ll be a reprint of that one. Hint hint… Renata is an avid paranormal researcher and also runs the very popular and award winning, Newcastle Ghost Tours which was established back in 2010. She has worked privately as a psychic for over 17 years, is a Reiki practitioner and psychic reader and has been conducting classes in basic psychic development for the past five years. Inside, a well collected and compiled assortment of author and reader contributed stories, news articles, personal experiences and opinions. The cases are fascinating and date back from as far as the late 1800’s, through to present day. I’m quite intrigued by the Mayfield poltergeist entries mentioned here; also researched heavily in Paul Cropper’s brilliant book, Australian Poltergiest. There’s also a good account of Australia’s first recorded ghost incident, The Fisher’s Ghost. It begins with a concise summation of the ghost hunting field in Australia, and some of the different theories abound, about the forms a ghost might exist in, if they do in fact exist. Considering its rather content specific title, this book covers more ground than the title might let on. All up, a well put together, tidy, easy to read book and highly recommended to anyone living in Australia with an interest in their spooky histories, or just anyone worldwide with a penchant for a good fireside ghost story. Pick up your copy here… http://www.newcastleghosttours.com.au/ [...] Read more...
Alcatraz – San Francisco Bay, California
Alcatraz – San Francisco Bay, California15/03/2012America / InvestigationsAlcatraz is a small island (of about 9 hectares) located in San Francisco Bay about 2.4kms from San Francisco, California. The island was originally developed with facilities for a lighthouse but was a prison from 1933 – 1963.   Alcatraz Penitentiary was designed not for reforming prisoners, but for punishment and housed prisoners who had caused trouble at other prisons throughout the US. Most of the original prisoners were notorious bank robbers and murderers and over the 29 years it ran there were some famous prisoners housed there including  Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud (the Birdman of Alcatraz), George “Machine Gun” Kelly, Bumpy Johnson, Rafael Cancel Miranda (a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party who attacked the United States Capitol building in 1954), Arthur R. “Doc” Barker, James “Whitey” Bulger, and Alvin “Creepy” Karpis (who served more time at Alcatraz than any other inmate). At the time of Acatraz’s closure the prison housed 250 inmates and 60 family members and staff resided on the island. Today the island is a tourist attraction and can be reached by a short ferry ride from San Francisco. The prison is the site of the oldest operating lighthouse on the west coast of the United States but the chief attraction is the now the abandoned and infamous Alcatraz prison. The main prison building, including the dining room and library, the morgue and entrance buildings remain intact and the ruins of several other buildings can also be seen. Audio tours are available through the grounds and main buildings as well as the now derelict shells of the wardens house, officers club and industry buildings. The remains of the parade and recreation yards can also be visited. It is claimed that no prisoner ever successfully escaped from Alcatraz (also known as “The Rock”) although 36 men did try over the years. Of these, 23 were caught alive and the other escapees were shot dead or drowned. Many other deaths were also recorded on the island.  8 prisoners were murdered by other inmates; a guard was murdered, 5 inmates were killed in random attacks and five more prisoners committed suicide,  Some of these souls are now thought to haunt the prison. Native American legend talk about evils spirits being on the island long before the prison was there.  Bones and artefacts unearthed by archaeologists on the island have indicated that it might have served as a burial ground for Native American outcasts. Some consider Alcatraz to be one of the most haunted places in America and it has been the site of many paranormal investigations. Over the years there has been a wide range of activity reported by prisoners, staff and tourists. The activity includes people being touched, locked doors opening and shutting, whispers and music being heard, cold spots being felt, a sobbing woman, unexplained footsteps and moaning have all allegedly been heard as well as apparitions and shadows being seen. One prisoner apparently screamed for hours one night after seeing glowing red eyes in his cell. It is alleged that he was found dead the following morning with a purple face, bulging eyes, and unidentified strangle marks around his throat.  Most of the activity has been noted in the prison although the Wardens house was also reputedly haunted.  There have also been many claims of sightings of a group of Native American men who disappear when approached. Of course officials from Alcatraz today refute any claim that the island is haunted. As a paranormal investigator Alcatraz Island has always been on my “wish-list” of places to investigate so while in San Francisco it was pleased to have had the opportunity to visit. It was an imposing sight in San Francisco Bay and as our ferry neared it I couldn’t help but wonder how the men who had been sentenced to a prison term in this penitentiary felt as they neared the monolithic concrete structure perched above the precarious cliffs of Alcatraz Island. Upon arrival the buildings were cold, unwelcoming and devoid of any comfort. At times I felt as if I was in a surreal computer generated world and anyone who has played Riven would feel at home on this island. Seeing a white haired grandmother-type woman wearing a park rangers uniform which included a 9mm Glock handgun holstered to her hip while handing pamphlets to children only added to this otherworldly sensation! There were many tourists on the island which made in impossible to hold any type of serious investigation but I was pleased to have spent a very fascinating afternoon exploring the buildings and grounds. As late afternoon fell the sea mist rolled onto the island. Within a few minutes Alcatraz was clocked in a mist so thick that we could not see more than a few meters of the ocean surrounding the island. The island felt insular and very desolate when cut off from any sign of the mainland. A foghorn sounded in the bay every few minutes and this again reminded me of being in some weird computer generated game. It was with great reluctance that I joined all the other tourists who boarded the ferry to return to the reality of bustling San Francisco. It was dusk and I would have loved to have spent the night in the deserted buildings…. [...] Read more...
A haunted work toilet? – Mark’s story
A haunted work toilet? – Mark’s story26/03/2019Locations of Interest / Opinions and Theories / True Ghost StoriesSo, here’s my story. It happened to me at work and for the life of me, I can’t figure it out! I told my wife about my little incident. She has already concluded I’m obviously in the early stages of Dementia, being old ‘n all. Delusional and heading for Crazy Town. I don’t agree with her assessment. I’ll let you decide. Warning: This is the story, of a journey into a toilet – and what occurred in said toilet. There might be details that some of the more sensitive readers might find offensive. So…… I’m at work and needed a poo. (Told you!) Headed to the Men’s Toilets / Bathroom. Let me set the scene. To get to the toilet there are two doors. One leading from the factory, down a few meter-long short corridor to another door, leading into the Men’s Bathroom / Toilet complex. I entered the Bathroom. (See photo below to get the idea) There was no one in any of the three cubicles. The doors were all open, as in the photo. I was alone. I went into the third cubicle (the right one), downed my pants and sat down in preparation. (Told you it’s heavy stuff!) I had sat down for about 5 seconds only when I heard movement in the cubicle beside me. I jumped in surprise, in fact! “Someone” adjusted their position on the seat and started pulling toilet paper from the dispenser on the wall. Looking down I could see shadow movement on the floor; exactly as there would be if someone had been having a poo beside me. Said ‘’Someone” then (I assume) wiped, shuffled around some more and flushed the toilet. They then opened the cubicle door; walked to the sink (footsteps heard), the sound of running water….the tap stopped. Then nothing. No pulling paper towels from the dispenser. No hand drying in the newly installed blower. No walking to the door to leave. Nothing. I then finished my business and exited the cubicle. The room was still empty as it was when I had entered. Keep in mind there are two doors to leave the area and back into the factory. Neither doors were heard opening. No footsteps leading up to the doors were heard either. I am 100% certain the three cubicles were vacant and wide open on entering. I am 100% certain no one followed behind me. I would’ve heard them clearly. The photo below was taken just before leaving the bathroom. (Hands washed and dried before taking photo on phone, of course). I’m not going to say it was a GHOST; but I certainly don’t want to think I’m going mad either! Did I fall asleep briefly and miss a minute or so of time before waking? Do ghosts poo? If they do, does that mean that ghosts also eat? If they do; what would they eat? The same food they enjoyed when alive? Do ghosts have a digestive system? Would food; if being eaten by a ghost, then become ghost food?! Does food have an afterlife?!!!! I have so many questions! On my first day there, on hearing of what I do after hours….I was told by a couple of people that the factory is haunted and that many staff have seen, heard and felt things through the years. …..aaaaand discuss. – Mark [...] Read more...
Helensville Museum Event
Helensville Museum Event03/09/2022Haunted Auckland Events / Haunted Locations / Historic BuildingsSaturday night’s public event at the Helensville Museum was great fun. The light rain that decided to join in for a bit didn’t dampen the spirits at all (see what I did there?) and the night flowed well, with those in attendance really getting into the moment. Good to hear a couple of people saying how this had inspired them to do their own research and are keen to start investigating for themselves. We heard there were a few interesting moments too. From gadget activations, synched-up temperature /EMF spikes, unusual battery drain, touchings, and the odd shadow or ”person” seen, or sensed. Thanks to all that came and supported the Helensville Museum and many thanks to the museum management for supporting us in our ongoing research, by giving the team access. Here are a few photos from the night. There are a small few missing from the group photo that had to leave before we got to take the shot. Please feel free to tag yourselves in them. Bring on the next one! [...] Read more...
Project Puhinui: Session Two – Puhinui House, Howick Historical Village
Project Puhinui: Session Two – Puhinui House, Howick Historical Village02/04/2016Historic Buildings / Investigations / Project PuhinuiSession 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 who was a sensitive reported sensing a woman in the upstairs bedroom. During one of our early investigations of the village I had heard a man speak while I was in the hallway of the house and I witnessed a heavy full-length velvet curtain lift back and fall back (as if an unseen hand had picked it up and dropped it) while in the main lounge. I also had a trigger object move in the nursery upstairs. During the last investigation, video footage showed a torch being thrown down the stairs and significant noises and bangs were heard around the same time. WEATHER CONDITIONS: It was warm and clear. LUNAR CYCLE: Waning Crescent TEMPERATURE INSIDE THE BUILDING: As the building was so large it took quite some time to get temperatures of all areas.  Temperature readings were done at 9pm, 11.50pm and 1.30am. At all times the temperature remained fairly constant with no rooms showing a major fluctuation. 9.00pm 25.7°C (upstairs storeroom) – 24.7°C (maids room) 11.50pm 25.6°C (main lounge) – 24.6°C (maids room) 1.30am 24.6°C (main lounge) – 22.6°C (Downstairs hallway) Oddly Karen reported feeling very cold in the main lounge throughout the evening  but the temperature remained constant and did not drop under 24°C. TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE BUILDING ON ENTRY: It was a warm day and was still 23°C at 7pm I had been in the building several times before, so knew the layout and of the ambience of the house.  No matter how many times I go into this building I’m always in awe of the craftsman who built this beautiful home.  The majestic, carpeted stairs with a polished pohutukawa stair rail,  and arched, coloured glass landing window are the first thing seen upon entry from the front door and draw you up the stairs to the bedroom/storage areas of the house.  I was looking forward to seeing the upstairs storerooms rooms, as they had been locked during all other visits and investigations of the house and this time Trevor (the caretaker) had agreed to open them all up for us. I was shocked as we did our initial walk-through to find that one of the store-rooms, which had been locked for all previous investigations, had items in it that could have been used to make some of the sounds heard during those investigations.  I was a little worried that there could be someone either hiding in the house or who had access to get inside while we were there.  This nervousness intensified after Karen reported hearing what sounded like footsteps creeping around while we were doing a communication session upstairs.  (She was listening to the recording in real time via headphones but as I was conducting the session I did not have headphones on so therefore did not have the benefit of having all sounds amplified.),  After closely monitoring the DVR cams for an hour or so after these footsteps were heard, it became apparent that we were definitely the only people there so I felt reassured.  The lighting in the lounge was very low and felt really dingy so made the lounge feel a little creepy, but I was easily able to rationalise that.  The upstairs of the building definitely had a very different atmosphere to downstairs and I felt that if there was anything paranormal in the building that it was probably upstairs (although I had nothing at all to back this feeling up) The House The house is huge!!!  Upon entering through the front door is  an entry hall with a hallway leading to the rear of the house, a very grand stairway, a door to the left which goes to the main lounge and a door to the right which opens to the dining room.  Off the end of the dining room is the study.  The hallway at the front door leads to the rear of the house where it turns right and runs along the back of the building.  Off this hallway are doors leading to the main lounge (has two doors-one off front hallway and one off back hallway), the public toilets, the kitchen (with a small modern kitchen/tea making room at the rear left and a small back entrance area with a back door at rear right), the dining room (also has two doors-one just inside front door and one off back hallway, opposite the kitchen), and at the end of this rear hallway is a very small maids room. If I went up the stairs from the front door there was a small landing half way up with a large arched window edged with coloured glass.  The stairs continued up to a large landing at the top.  Off this landing was the main bedroom, a work/store room to the right and a room set up as a nursery, and a short passage to the left.  Off the short hallway were two store/work rooms to the left and another at the end of the hallway. I was really interested in the upstairs rooms as it was upstairs that not only Haunted Investigators, but also staff and the general public had reported most of the activity.  The apparition of a woman has been seen moving up the stairs, people have reported the mirror in the main bedroom being moved, trigger objects have been moved in the nursery, noises heard and at the investigation before ours a flat torch was somehow moved from a chair at the beginning of the small hallway and thrown down the stairs.  It was really interesting to be able to get into the store/work rooms which we had never had access to before, especially when we discovered that in one room was a large heavy case, a metal bucket and a chair all of which we used to replicate loud and obvious sounds heard from upstairs during the last investigation while the investigator slept.  The main bedroom was also of interest to me as presumably this room would have been the master bedroom and was very possibly where some of the owners of the home spent significant amounts of time.  Interestingly the light to this blew shortly after we arrived at the house while we were setting up so further investigation of the room and our attempts at communication sessions had to be done by torchlight. A lot of what we thought may have been paranormal we were able to be debunked either a little later during the investigation or during review of the audio and video footage.  A light seen on the wall, followed by the sound of footsteps seems to be caused by a torch shone in the front door or window followed by the sound of someone walking along the front deck of the house.  This is very clear when listened to on a recorder using directional speakers although at the time they sounded like they were inside.  We also noted that there appeared to be an odd light (orb like), which came and went in one of the upstairs store rooms.  After watching for about an hour to determine that we were not about to see an apparition form I went upstairs to check it out.  It appeared that the “activity” was caused by the infrared cam trying to film a reflective surface as, once the camera was moved slightly the activity ceased.   Apart from these occurrences there was nothing that I would consider paranormal. Karen heard footsteps somewhere in the house during a communication session and upon checking the dvr footage there was nothing to be seen.  She also woke me very early in the morning and reported that she had heard someone walking quietly in the room that was above us.  I didn’t hear anything as the activity had ceased by the time I was fully awake. (Upon review of the audio footage I feel that what she heard was actually someone walking up the front steps and back down again and that it was possibly the caretaker or security guard.) Cold spots, Temperature drops: It was extremely warm in the house all night.  There were no cold spots noted at any time during the investigation!  Karen did report feeling very cold in the early hours of the morning but the thermometer did verify this when I checked the air around her, nor could I physically feel any cold air. Trigger Tests: Several trigger tests were set up on the stairs and in the nursery.  Careful note was made of all equipment left around the house (including photos being taken of each piece of equipment) in case any of these items were moved during the investigation.  All items and trigger tests remained unmoved. Communication Attempts: We did several communication sessions.  We did one in the upstairs bedroom, one on the stairs and several in the downstairs lounge.  I also used the spirit box for one of the sessions and seem to have got a few answers in response to questions asked.  We asked the usual type questions i.e. “What is your name?”  “Why do you stay here?”  “Do you know why we are here?” etc. but also just talked with any spirit who might be there.  The actual EVP sessions didn’t really capture any EVPs but during the session in the upstairs bedroom Karen heard footsteps in the house.  I did however record several voices on the upstairs recorder while we were conducting communications sessions downstairs.  These voices and whispers seem to be quite close to the audio recorder. One in particular is really intriguing as it sounds like Mark Wallbank speaking and saying something about pumps, however Mark had left the building over an hour beforehand.    At this stage I can offer no explanation for that voice as at the time there were only two female investigators in the building.   I enjoyed our investigation of Puhinui House.  While it was supposed to be a quiet, laid-back style of investigation where we planned to let the spirits come to us (as was the case in the last investigation at this house) Karen and I ended up being quite busy.  Because the house was so large even the initial walk-through checking to make sure windows and doors were locked, investigating the rooms which had previously been locked and attempting to recreate some of the sounds that had been heard during the previous investigation took a good couple of hours.  By the time we then set up videos, 12 DVR cams and several audio recorders  and taken baseline temperature and EMF readings throughout the whole house it was close to 11pm.  After investigating a light sighted on the wall at the front of the house and subsequently doing a communication session on the stairs it was almost midnight and time to attempt a communication session in the upstairs bedroom. We spent time upstairs trying to build a rapport with any spirit that might have been present and attempted to communicate and get EVPs or some form of intelligent response from any spirit or energy that may have been present.  Karen had her headphones on as she was monitoring the session in real-time in case we did receive some form of communication.  She then reported that she could hear footsteps that sounded like someone was creeping around the house.  I must admit that I was concerned about this as when I had heard the noises that had been recorded during the last investigation my initial thoughts were that the noises were being made by someone who was hiding in one of the locked upstairs rooms. (Subsequent discussions have made me rethink that opinion as I don’t really think anyone would be silly enough to make loud noises and then come out of the locked room and throw things around, knowing that the area was set up with cameras). Once we finished the communication session, we went downstairs where we monitored the DVR cams carefully to ensure there was in fact no person creeping  around the house.  It was during this time that we noted an  orb-like light appearing then disappearing in one of the upstairs storerooms.  We watched it on the monitor for quite some time hoping that we were maybe about to see and capture on film a spirit manifesting itself,  and wanting to allow time to observe what was happening fully.  Upon checking we discovered that the shiny surface of a lamp stored in the room may have been causing a lens flare effect with the infra red light of the camera.  I moved the camera to a different angle and the orb-like light  effect immediately ceased. We did several walk-throughs of the house through the night and held two further EVP communication sessions and a spirit box session in the main lounge.  At the time we appeared to not have got any responses from the EVP sessions but a spirit box session did appear to get some possibly intelligent responses.  Interestingly, we did seem to get some good possible EVPs captured on the upstairs recorder while we were conducting communication and spirit box sessions downstairs. I think the investigation went well.  I was pleased we were able to get some sleep, as I was aware that the activity and sounds that Mark videoed  during the prior investigation of the building occurred when Mark was asleep, and I wanted to recreate similar conditions.  Upon reviewing my audio I have found noises and voices which may have been made by people outside and as there is a public  walkway beside the house it is almost impossible to eliminate the possibility that at least some of our audio “captures” may be real people. I took baseline readings throughout the house using my EMF meter upon arrival.  There  were no high  readings, which in a house of that age is unusual, so I presume that the whole building has been rewired to  modern standards when it was moved on-site.  I conducted several scans of the building and no unusual EMF activity was noted. As we were aware that activity had occurred at the last investigation while Mark was asleep we made sure to be asleep by 3am.  Just as we were going to sleep at about 2.40 I thought I heard a female voice say something and both Karen and I heard a bang.  Karen and I could not agree on what the bang was but did agree that it had come from the room we were in.  Karen thought it was the sound of a drink bottle popping and I felt it was caused from a bang on the window.  I wondered if someone was outside and trying to scare us.  Karen and I had a brief discussion on what the noise had been but we were tired and it did not seem to be paranormal so we were soon asleep.  Oddly when I reviewed the audio from that night I was unable to find that noise or the brief discussion that followed! At just before 6am Karen woke me saying that she had heard footsteps walking softly across the floor of the room above us (master bedroom).  I did not hear anything and we both listened for a few minutes while observing the DVR monitors but saw and heard nothing further.  We went back to sleep and  awoke about 7.30am.  Upon review I feel that what Karen heard was actually a security guard or maybe the caretaker coming to the front door. We were disappointed that no extraordinary activity had occurred during the night but were hopeful of seeing or hearing something upon reviewing the evening.  Upon review,  the extensive DVR footage revealed nothing of note however there were some very interesting EVPs which seem to indicate that we were perhaps not alone in the house that night.  If we had not had  all areas of the house covered by the infrared DVR cams I would have seriously considered the possibility of someone else being in the house with us and talking into the upstairs recorder, however I am certain there was no-one else there.  I am therefore at a complete loss to explain the voices heard on the audio recorder. I can only conclude that there is (in my opinion) a strong chance that the house is haunted although at this stage I cannot decide if it is an intelligent or a residual haunting. It would take more research to make that judgement. [...] Read more...
Waimiha School
Waimiha School08/09/2018Abandoned Buildings / Locations of Interest  [...] 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