Latest Updates

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

Noises in the house

Noises in the house

About four months ago (start of 2015) I heard weird noises in my family house. Our house was two-storey and had been built about 30 years ago. I had also remembered that my Nan had passed away in the house about 7 years ago and I was told by a

Regent Theatre, Dunedin

Regent Theatre, Dunedin

The Regent Theatre is a theatre in Dunedin, New Zealand with a seating capacity of about 1,650. It is in The Octagon, the city’s central plaza, directly opposite the Municipal Chambers (Dunedin Town Hall) and close to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. The Regent Theatre stands on the site of

The Queen Mary – California , USA

The Queen Mary – California , USA

Report 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

Project Puhinui: Session one – Puhinui House, Howick Historical Village

Project Puhinui: Session one – Puhinui House, Howick Historical Village

Session One: March 19th 2016 – Solo overnight vigil by Mark Wallbank Feb 2016, I began working on a plan to investigate further, the almost regular unusual occurrences that have been reported through the years at the grand, and much loved, Puhinui house. puhi are the decorative plumes used on

The Visitor

The Visitor

When I was a young boy I experienced horrible night terrors. I would lie awake in my bed all night every night. As soon as I would close my eyes to try to sleep things would get worse! Every night I would hear foot steps and watch people walk past

The Leviathan Heritage Hotel – Dunedin

The Leviathan Heritage Hotel – Dunedin

When the Leviathan Railway Temperance Hotel was built in 1884 it was situated beside the harbour, beside the original railway station, on land, which had been reclaimed from the harbour, with rock dumped during the flattening of Bell Hill. With 150 bedrooms, the Leviathan was then reputed to be the

The white woman of the Carlton.

The white woman of the Carlton.

In Palmerston North’s old Carlton Hotel, late at night on July 23, 1998, a cleaner named “Jazz” Hayes, working late, heard a woman screaming upstairs. He telephoned the police, but nothing was found. Later (as Hays told the late city archivist Ian Matheson) he saw a ‘’white-clad woman and child

Yowie – What are they?

Yowie – What are they?

In the years I have been conducting research into this ‘creature’ ‘legend’ or ‘myth’ known as the Yowie, the remaining question is what are they, if they are in fact real? And that is the $64000 question isn’t it? First of all let me say that this was the last

Abandoned house – Northcote, Auckland

Abandoned house – Northcote, Auckland

 

Editor's Choice
Return to Private Residence, New Lynn
Return to Private Residence, New Lynn27/10/2012Private ResidencesThe Haunted Auckland team returned to the New Lynn house for a full overnight investigation, following an intriguing initial investigation which seemed to indicate that the home may quite possibly be actively haunted.   This time we came with extra people and additional equipment, including the newest piece in our research arsenal, a 4 x I.R camera DV-R system. The 12 hour session started at 8pm on Friday night and went through till 8am Saturday morning. To the surprise of those that attended, we all managed to stay wide awake and alert the entire time! The team for the 12 hour investigation: Mark, Barbara, Matthew, Heather, Tanya. Kel joined in from 10pm till just after midnight. Weather Conditions on the night – Fine but cloudy. Lunar Cycle: Almost a full moon. Base temperatures in the house on entry at session start – At 8.45pm most of the upstairs rooms were around 18C. The kitchen was slightly warmer at 19C with the bathroom at 17C and the toilet at 16C. The downstairs rooms were cooler with the office/lounge, storeroom and toilet at 6C, the bedroom and end room at 17.5C and the hallway and bathroom / laundry at 15C. Mid way temperature readings – By 12.30am the lounge area upstairs and bathroom were 15C, Susan’s bedroom was 16C, kitchen, Michael’s bedroom and toilet were all 17C. The downstairs office/lounge was 16C, the bathroom laundry was 15C and the bedroom and end room were still both 17C. EMF Readings – There were no big fluctuations over the night. We did discover that there were high readings in Michael’s bedroom, particularly from his digital alarm clock and in the wardrobe! It was via the EMF readings that we were led to find a car battery being charged downstairs as the elevated readings alerted us to the possibility of something happening on the other side of the bedroom wall. Matt – “EMF readings were flat throughout the house apart from expected spikes near power boxes and appliances. A cyclic EMF fluctuation was detected behind the television; however this was determined to be due to the wireless router on the desk.”   Second visit opinions Tanya – “There were two parts to the house – the upstairs felt older and the downstairs (basement) was quite cold.” Barbara – “The downstairs area was very neutral, though upstairs had a feeling of ‘something’ being there and / or a build-up of negative residual energy. The upstairs made me feel anxious. Not emotionally, but physically. I got that ‘butterfly’ feeling in my stomach and felt slightly on edge. Something felt not quite right and I had an uneasy feeling of something watching us everywhere upstairs, except Susan’s room. This is interesting as last time I did not like Susan’s room at all, but this time it actually felt quite calm and peaceful. I could have easily just gone to sleep in there. Downstairs seemed to have a neutral feel to it (nothing good or bad).” Kel – “When I first entered the building downstairs, I did not like the feeling. I sensed a very strong vibe and felt quite dizzy and nauseous. I actually felt quite sick at times. I noticed my car was sitting right next to a high voltage power box. When I walked across the road I sensed quite strongly beforehand that there were entities in the house.” Heather – “Peter’s bedroom downstairs was open this time, and you could smell the stale scent of cigarettes, it probably lingered around from the room being locked up and not left open to be aired. The hallway was damp and wet and the downstairs shower looked like you needed a ladder to climb into it!   Bowie the Cat Heather – “When Kel arrived she let in their cat Bowie, who became Matthew’s best friend for the night. Bowie seemed quite content to be inside, even with strangers, although he had met a couple of us, on the previous visit. Nothing seemed to bother the cat, he was happy to sleep either on Matt or me, or the couch or the floor next to the couch.”   Michael’s Room Barbara – “That was where we did our very successful EVP session. I also had a sense of something being there (as did the lounge and kitchen). It is interesting to note that upon reviewing the DVR footage, Michael’s room was by far the most visited room (apart from the lounge where we were based) with all team members returning to that room again and again.” Tanya – “I would not call myself a ‘sensitive’ but I definitely felt a presence in Michael’s room.”     Spirit Communication The team decided to hold an EVP session to try to communicate with whatever might have been in the house. The session lasted for an hour, from 4.43am to 5.42am. We decided to hold the communication session in Michael’s room. The girls lay on the bed whilst Mark monitored the room with the parabolic audio dish. The room was also documented with one I.R camera recording directly to the DV-R and 2 x Audio recorders. We proceeded to ask the usual EVP intro questions. We started to get solid single taps (knocking) immediately after each question. When a tap followed in response to a question we would confirm it, and then double confirm again, just to be sure. The replies were constant, direct and seemingly intelligent and confirmable every time without fail. The selection of EVPs below are just a small handful of some of the possible ‘interaction’ we experienced during this session. The ‘conversation’ gets a little more detailed and accurate, while the knocks become more distinct and louder, the further on it goes. Haunted Auckland · Johnathan Lockley – Part 1 Haunted Auckland · Johnathan Lockley – Part 2   Heather – “It must have been around 2.30ish when I had the feeling/need to go into Michael’s bedroom, so I did, and went in and settled down on the bed. I heard something in the room and called out to see if the others had. The noise happened again and sounded like it was coming from the wardrobe. Mark, Barbara and Tanya came into Michael’s room and we all could hear what sounded like a tapping noise. So we ask the spirit if they would knock / tap once for yes in answer to questions, and it agreed too. I couldn’t believe it was actually happening and thought my imagination was playing tricks on me, but after being there a few hours I had zoned out the aquarium bubbling, the TV humming and the radio clock buzzing and was hearing all sorts of weird things. We took a break and asked the spirit if we came back in would they talk to us again. We were all getting tired including our ghostly friend, hence the break.” Haunted Auckland · Johnathan Lockley – Part 3   Mark – “We noticed that the tapping wasn’t coming from any particular direction and was coming from ‘everywhere’. Behind me, in front of me, high, low, everywhere. It definitely had me stumped! We tried, continually throughout the session, but could not source the sound or its direction. It was an incredible feeling to be honest! We checked out the whole room looking for possible sound sources to explain it, but couldn’t.” Haunted Auckland · Johnathan Lockley – Part 4   Every now and then we would ask again to confirm that we were actually communicating with someone. Every piece of information we received we would confirm, sometimes twice. Everyone in the room was genuinely impressed at what was going on. We could find no explanations for anything we were experiencing. We could hear the usual gurgle of stomachs, clicking of body movements and could all tell the difference. [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/88792289″ params=”color=000000&auto_play=false&show_artwork=false” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]   Within the hour-long session we were ‘told’ that the entity was a young, 13-year-old boy named Jonathan Lockley, this was determined by each letter being individually spelt out. [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/88792697″ params=”color=000000&auto_play=false&show_artwork=false” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/88792974″ params=”color=000000&auto_play=false&show_artwork=false” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/88794209″ params=”color=000000&auto_play=false&show_artwork=false” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/88794407″ params=”color=000000&auto_play=false&show_artwork=false” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/88794504″ params=”color=000000&auto_play=false&show_artwork=false” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/88794642″ params=”color=000000&auto_play=false&show_artwork=false” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/88794783″ params=”color=000000&auto_play=false&show_artwork=false” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]   The following information was also communicated: He had white skin and light brown hair. He had lived and died in the house in the 60s after being very ill. That he could see us sitting in the room and was standing over by the window. He had lived there with his parents. He had a sister. His sister was older. He went to school at New Lynn Primary. Where he was, there were other people there with him. He was not with friends or family, all the people around him were strangers. The room we were in used to be his bedroom. He was not aware of his surroundings or where he was. We got the impression he was watching us over by the window, yet was in another place. (Perhaps a parallel place or time?) Wherever he was, he wasn’t happy and didn’t like being there. He was desperate to leave. He was sad, scared, missing his sister and didn’t know where she was. He has no friends where he is. He liked to watch T.V at night when It was on. He goes into the kitchen and lounge, but said he didn’t go downstairs because he has been told not to. His parents had told him not to go downstairs. He wanted help getting away from wherever he was. He was happy with us being there, liked us and thought we were funny. On us asking if he could see the home owners when they are there, he said ‘Yes‘. He liked spending time with Peter and wanted to be friends. He liked the Michael and could see him when he sleeps in the room. He was wanting to be friends with everyone in the house and enjoyed being around them. We asked if it was he who rings the doorbell. We received no answer to this question, so couldn’t confirm. We asked ’Jonathan’ to go out into the lounge and touch Matthew who was monitoring the DVR system. He said ‘Yes’ and disappeared for a short while. After a moment, ’he’ returned to ’chat’ with us. We asked if he liked Matthew and received ‘No’. On asking whether Matthew would be welcome to join us, we received a negative. We found we constantly had to question ourselves. There were no random knocks outside of these questions, only in ‘reply’ to the questions. At times Mark claimed to be picking up loud buzzing sounds at the moments we were getting replies. A couple of times we heard ceiling, bed creaks and floor board noises, but discounted these as being normal house movement.   Also during the EVP session: Tanya thought she had seen a face beside her at the window. Barbara reacted to having felt ‘something’ touch her leg. Soon after, Barbara felt her sock being pulled off. We asked if that was Jonathan, he said ‘yes’. (Seems this kid has a good sense of humour!) Mark reacted to seeing a dark fast-moving shadow move behind him to his left. ‘Jonathan’ then disappeared and we heard no more. After the session, as we were commenting on how incredible it was that we might have captured possible communications for a whole 30 minutes (This is how long it felt), it became clear to us that it had actually been a whole hour! Barbara – “We seemed to receive intelligent responses to our questions with a knocking. Was the highlight of my night! We went to the house in New Lynn looking for evidence of a suspected haunting and I think we may have got it. The team held a very good EVP session which seems to indicate that a spirit (or spirits) there was able to communicate intelligently by answering questions by tapping for responses. These were in no way just random noises as at times when the group is talking among themselves there is no tapping to be heard.” Heather – “When we went back in, we decided to ask if we could get a name from this spirit and ended up spelling out Jonathan Lockley who went to New Lynn Primary School, and died at 13 years of age. He had an older sister and they had lived in the house with their parents during the 1960’s. I have called the Primary School a couple of times asking for details about Jonathan and if he did go to the school. As we don’t have an actual year he was there, it will probably take a while for them to search their enrolment records. I did offer to go to the school and look for myself, but they said there was no need to. Maybe if we get a chance to go back to the house we might be able to make contact and see if we can get a year Jonathan was at school, or at least his birthday. Although this ‘ghost’ could have been playing tricks with us. We might end up contacting someone else? What seemed to be a short period of time talking to Jonathan in the second session, it was over an hour we spent with him. We all were starting to tire again and the tapping was getting lighter, so we decided to stop. All of this was recorded on two audio recorders. A copy of the full 59 minute recording is available on request for any groups or individuals who wish to perform additional analysis. Personal Experiences and Sensations Mark – “I spent some time, by myself, lying on the Susan’s bed. I had the audio recorder going in an attempt to have a few staple questions answered. I was lying on my back with both my arms up behind my head, my camera ready at my side. About 10 minutes into the session, I jumped up in fright, as I felt the exact sensation of long hair slowly being dragged along my arm. I leapt up and started clicking off photos. Nothing was caught on camera or audio. The I.R DV-R camera aimed into the room captured me leaping up, but wasn’t angled enough to see my arms or upper half. It was like a woman had leaned over me, moved from left to right, slowly draping her long hair across my arms. It was an amazing experience. I could feel all the long hairs running through my arm hairs!” Barbara – “I had a sense of something being upstairs, particularly in Michael’s room, but can’t say what it was. Personally I suspect that someone/thing was watching us and was playing games.”   Kel – “In the kitchen, I felt a presence and asked “What is your name?” I receive a name, Surley. I then asked “Is this your first name?” I received “No” I asked “Is this your surname?” the entity replied “Yes” I psychically asked “Can you show me what you look like?” I received a picture of a young guy with blonde hair. Unfortunately I cannot use any of this as conclusive evidence as it was not able to be documented, still, interesting all the same. I then lost connection. I tried singing to see if I could reconnect. Unfortunately nothing happened. Later, while sitting on the floor in Michael’s room I felt a presence of a small dog, quite close to me. I closed my eyes and saw a little bit clearly that this dog had wings. In the downstairs lounge I felt a presence. I tried to communicate with the entity. Unfortunately there was no response. I was feeling quite dizzy and nauseous. In Peter’s room I felt a presence of a young male and he was lying on the bed. I did try to communicate with the entity. Barbara went to get her Camera, while I stayed down stairs in the bedroom. I thought I saw a dark figure go past the door in the Hall way. I decided to try to see if singing would help to communicate with the entity.” Matt – “During the “quiet time” from 2:30am to 3:30am while sitting on the couch directly opposite the television, I felt the couch “pop” as if a weight had been lifted or placed onto the couch next to me and the springs had adjusted. I had not moved for some time and no one had been sitting next to me for at least the previous 15-30 minutes so I cannot directly explain what caused the couch springs to shift. I likened the feel to a cat jumping up on the couch; however the only cat present was at my feet and had not moved at all. I was not present in Michael’s bedroom during the extended E.V.P. session when the knocking communication occurred, however I was moving around the lounge for the latter part of that session. I did not notice any creaking or knocking noises at the time.”   Trigger Tests Whilst downstairs in the Peter’s room, noticing all the Rock / Metal memorabilia, an electric guitar and other Rock music related items, Barbara and Kel tried gaining a reaction via a ‘trigger’ action of singing a rousing Rock rendition of the children’s nursery rhyme ‘Miss Polly had a Dolly‘. Though it was highly amusing to Mark, who was also in the room, nothing happened. Barbara traced around the remote for the DV-R system and left it at the top of the stairs. It did not move. Also, a notebook was left folded back on the lid of the container for the DV-R system. At one stage during the night we asked if anything was there and if it could move something. In front of everyone, the notebook opened and fell to the floor. It was agreed that this was possibly due to the way it was folded back, but it did seem at the time to be dead on cue in response to us asking if whatever was there could let us know.   Conclusions Barbara – “I thought it went well. We went to the house looking for evidence of a suspected haunting and I think we may have got it. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get more evidence but then I suppose that a one hour EVP session is not to be sneezed at! I thought we worked well as a team and that we did manage to cover most areas and do most of what needed to be done. I was really pleased with the first run of the DV-R system. I think that this house is haunted by at least one intelligent spirit. From the stories the family has told I suspect that there may be more than one and that perhaps Michael attracts spirits to him (and his home and family). I tend to believe it when Michael says that his deceased friend sometimes is in the house but that there is also something else there which tries to make them believe that it is the ghost of Michael’s friend. Michael seems to be a gifted psychic and would have a good idea of what different do and how they feel. I suspect that the “boy” we got during our EVP session may not have been who he says he is and may have been a spirit who was telling us this in order to gain our trust. I also think that spirits may be attracted to this house not only by Michael but also as the house seems to have some residual energy in the upstairs areas. I feel as though something bad has happened there or possibly a series of bad happenings which have built up or layered the residual negative energy in the areas of the house most effected. The layout of the house would not help this as I suspect that energy gets trapped in that upstairs area.” Tanya – “I feel it was a very successful investigation. Would love to go back and investigate more in-depth and try find out more about this ‘Jonathan” person. I think we covered the house pretty well. I think there might be residual, but definitely intelligent. Especially in Michael’s bedroom, as we were able to interact with some form of energy. “ Matthew – “I couldn’t find any records of the “Jonathan Lockley” who communicated during the E.V.P. session, or any Lockleys associated with the address or neighbouring properties based on Electoral Roll records up to 1981. Generally it went well, definitely some good evidence from the E.V.P. session. While I did not personally witness any activity that I would class as definitively paranormal, the results of the E.V.P. session in Michael’s bedroom are compelling and the location closely matches the “hot spot” where the clients claim most of the activity is taking place. The interaction via knocks would indicate an intelligent haunting, although there is some difficulty backing up the details given by the entity with historical records. While I am not spiritual or religious personally, some of the entity’s responses and the fact that the entity claims to be a child makes me concerned it may be pandering to our expectations a little, similar to the actions of a so-called “demonic entity”, however it’s difficult to say either way without further replicating the results.” Kel – “I did receive a last name Surley, a date of 1949 and the word ‘Depression’, though not knowing if whether this meant a depression in 1949, or if the entity was itself depressed, I felt that there were a lot of entities including an animal in the house I listened to Barbara’s EVP of the little boy communicating by knocking out his name. My findings are inconclusive if the place is haunted or not but there seemed to be many entities, including an animal there.” Heather – I think there is a lot more to the house than even the Michael knows. The house seems to be disjointed with the way the toilet is away from the bathroom and the bedroom in the middle of the two. Not much fun to go to the loo if you have to pass Michael during the night. I get the feeling that Michael’s room should be at the end where the toilet is with a door to the bedroom from the kitchen, with the toilet being next to the bathroom, like most houses? I get the impression that the house was moved there and then uplifted and put on a basement of concrete. Maori affairs and state housing did move homes around during the 50’s and 60’s and there are no other state housing/Maori affairs houses in the street. All in all it was my first all-nighter and was extremely interesting and exciting, which opened my mind to wanting to know more. “ Mark – “Well it was a very interesting session to say the least. I consider myself an open-minded skeptic who has had experiences but still ‘sits on the fence’. After this night I feel I have experienced something valuable that has now altered my perceptions on the paranormal world. I am more confident now than before, that the path I am treading is a true and valid one and the ‘seeing is believing’ phrase really meant something this time around! Whether or not we actually did ‘speak’ to an entity called Jonathan is still unknown. Even now, I have doubts, as the all too familiar and annoying ‘too good to be true’ debate goes on in my mind. All I do know is that if all the knocking in response to our questions was just coincidence, natural occurrence or misidentification and the ‘hair’ incident in the Susan’s room was just nerves or skin sensitivity, then it sure fooled this open-minded skeptic! One thing I felt very sure of in my mind is that whatever it is that is residing alongside this family isn’t harmful or negative. If it is, I certainly didn’t feel it. In fact, I saw it more as being youthful and friendly, but lonely and in need of friendship. Another thing that can’t be disregarded is the quality and quantity of all the stories of activity through the years, some of it regularly occurring and ongoing. It seemed blindingly obvious that there is something going on in the house that the usual ‘Electromagnetic field’ or ‘rusty plumbing’ culprits couldn’t be accused of this time, and it wasn’t just in the mind of one person, but physically shared by and affecting, the entire family.” A big thank you to the family for trusting us and allowing us into their home to investigate the activity overnight. We really do appreciate it and hope we have answered a few of your questions and maybe shed a little light onto some of the things you have all been experiencing through the years.  [...] Read more...
New Zealand Moose
New Zealand Moose05/01/2014Kiwi CryptidsMoose – Alces alces andersoni, were imported from Saskatchewan Canada, into the South Island by the New Zealand Acclimatisation Society as a sporting animal along with red deer in the early 20th century. These animals supposedly failed to establish, and yet sightings persisted and evidence of their continued presence continued. The initial introduction occurred in 1900 when four animals from Canada were released in Hokotika. The initial release was supposed to have been fourteen animals but ten died on the voyage from Canada. Out of these four animals only one was a cow, and was said to wander the streets of a local settlement until 1914 when it was no longer seen.These animals were presumed to have not survived and a further release was planned. This occurred on the 6th of April 1910, when six female and four male, ten month old calves were released in Supper Cove in Dusky Sound. It was believed these animals died out due to the competition from Red Deer – Cervus elaphus, however a small number must have persisted as reports of physical traces and sightings continued. These sightings became quite prevalent between 1929 and 1952. Herrick Creek was one spot where a bull moose was supposedly shot by one Eddie Herrick in 1934. This was one of a dozen animals shot between 1910 and 1952. The last one sighted and shot in 1952 was presumed to have spelt the end of the establishment of a moose population in New Zealand, in fact it would have been the only population of wild Moose in the Southern Hemisphere. Nothing more was heard of the Moose apart from rumour and speculation until a possible sighting in 1971 sparked a hunt for a possible surviving population of these enigmatic animals. More physical proof came to light in 1972 when an antler, definitely moose was found. Ken Tustin was charged with finding out if they still existed on the insistence of the New Zealand Forest Service in 1972. Research conducted by Mr Tustin suggested that a small population may have inhabited the Dusky Sound area. This was based on prints, droppings, antler casts and signs of grazing. No actual sightings of the animals were however forthcoming. The thick bush in the area kept them well hidden. Mr Tustin did not give up the search and in 1995 a picture was taken of a possible female at Herrick Creek. A single frame from a video clip showed what appeared to be the retreating figure, regrettably the image was not a clear one due to the video being in time-lapse mode which causes some distortion to the picture. The outline and stance of the animal however were quite convincing. A hair sample was found in 2000 and subjected to DNA testing. The test confirmed it was definitely Moose hair. Further evidence of their continued existence was found in 2001 when two hunters came across some more hair. This sample came from Shark Cove on the southern side of Dusky Sound and was again confirmed as Moose hair. Another hair sample was found by Mr Tustin in October 2002, snagged at waist height on some tree bark, this too was subjected to DNA testing and proved to be of Moose origin. The hairs were collected opposite Oke Island. Though no actual sightings have occurred since the 1971 one, there is plenty of physical evidence for the existence of these animals. These animals seem to be confined to the Dusky Sound area. Bedding spots and physical evidence suggest up to 20 animals may live there ( Otago Daily Times 06.10.05). Although the population is small these animals seem to be holding their own, though regrettably they have not been granted protection and are still able to be subjected to the hunters gun. If these animals are to survive they need the protection to establish a stable population, which could be possible considering the number taken by hunters early in their introduction. The area in which they live is heavy bush and this has impeded visual sightings, but the evidence is there that this species holds on in their remote piece of Fiordland. [...] Read more...
Hunua Falls
Hunua Falls13/01/2019Locations of InterestThe Hunua Falls are located on the Wairoa River in the Hunua Ranges Regional Park in Auckland. The 30-metre waterfall is a popular point of interest for hikers visiting the Hunua Ranges. It is known for its idyllic and picturesque beauty. The small lake below the falls is also a popular swimming spot for visitors. Beautiful but deadly Despite its tranquil setting, there have been an unfortunate number of drownings which have occurred at Hunua Falls. As of 2019, at least 16 people are known to have drowned while swimming at the falls. The swimming hole, formed by volcanic activity, falls away steeply underwater. There is a series of ledges at depths of five metres, eight metres and 15 metres down to the bottom at 30 metres. Visitors are warned that inexperienced swimmers can get into difficulty if not supervised. Several of the deaths have occurred when thrill-seekers attempted to dive off the top of the falls. This can prove to be very hazardous if you hit the water at the wrong angle, as the height is equivalent to an 10-storey building. Paranormal activity at Hunua Falls There have been various reports of unusual occurrences at Hunua Falls. Some people report strange feelings or energies at the location, and some visitors have reported odd voices being captured when filming video at the location. Whether these reports can be linked back to the tragic deaths at the location, the presence of moving water or some natural phenomenon, we may never know. The nearby YMCA Camp Adair also has many ghost stories associated with it. Could it be there is a paranormal hot-spot in the Hunua Ranges? Do you have any stories to share about Hunua Falls? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below, or get in contact with us. [...] Read more...
The Golden Fleece – York, UK
The Golden Fleece – York, UK17/02/2020Haunted Locations / United KingdomThe Golden Fleece is an inn in York, England, which has a pub on the ground floor and four guest bedrooms above. Built in 1503 and claims to be the most haunted public house in York. We booked a room for the night to see if we’d have any luck documenting anything or having an experience of our own. My wife, Sarah is very sceptical and ‘’down to earth’’ on all matters paranormal. This night would prove to perhaps be something of a ‘’game changer’’ for her. Maybe. There are thought to be fifteen spectres in residence at the hotel, but the most noted of which and the most talked about is Lady Alice Peckett, wife of John Peckett, who used to be the mayor of York and also the owner of the hotel. Many guests have reported seeing Alice wandering the corridors of the hotel, moving furniture around and walking up and down staircases in the small hours of the night. Another of the ghosts is a Canadian airman who fell to his death from one of the upper windows of the hotel during World War II. After his untimely demise, he took up residence at the hotel as a non-paying guest. Other ghosts include a man known as One Eyed Jack, who is often seen wearing a 16-17th century red coat and carrying a pistol, in the bottom bar of the pub. He’s joined by a grumpy old man, also regularly seen in the bottom bar, and by a young boy from Victorian times who was trampled to death by horses who are regularly seen in the top bar. Roman soldiers have also been seen in the cellar of the hotel, which is where dead criminals used to be stored as a temporary measure until their relatives came to identify them. We went to our room; The Minster Suite, on the top floor and unpacked. I decided to head straight out and explore ‘’The Shambles’’ street, which was just across the road. Sarah chose to just stay in and rest. We’d go to the Shambles again the next day to do some shopping and look around. Within a few minutes of my leaving the Inn, heading away, I received a rather panicked text from Sarah. ‘’Swear to God I’m sure I just saw a woman in a white nightdress in the bedroom!!!!!!!! Faaaaaarrrrkkkkk creepy!!!!’’ I returned to the hotel soon after and Sarah gave me a good detailed run-down of her experience. I consider her reaction to this incident very out of character for her, and I know she wouldn’t make things up. Being a mental health professional; rational and sensible thinking is ingrained through years of training and experience. Here is her description of events. I felt it needed to be documented. ‘’After dinner in the pub, I went back to our room and Mark went for another look around the Shambles in the dark. I climbed the rickety stairs and went through the main door to our room. I dropped my handbag and scarf in the lounge room and walked through to the bedroom to sit on the bed and take my shoes off. I sat on the bed looking out the window that looked over The Shambles, then leant forward to untie my shoelaces. As I straightened up, I suddenly became aware of something to the right of me, beside the fireplace of the bedroom. It appeared to be a person in the room wearing white or a light colour. I also had a quick glimpse of darkish grey long hair over the person’s shoulders. I got such a fright and jumped as I thought perhaps a staff member was in our room and I hadn’t noticed her. I jumped and as I turned to look fully at the person they were no longer there. I immediately sent a text to Mark to let him know.’’ Interesting. [...] Read more...
The Ghost Nun of Borley Rectory
The Ghost Nun of Borley Rectory18/01/2014HauntingsBorley Rectory was a Victorian mansion that gained fame as “the most haunted house in England”. Built in 1862 to house the rector of the parish of Borley, Essex and his family, it was badly damaged by fire in 1939 and demolished in 1944. The large Gothic-style rectory in the village of Borley had been alleged to be haunted ever since it was built. These reports multiplied suddenly in 1929, after the Daily Mirror published an account of a visit by paranormal researcher Harry Price, who wrote two books supporting dramatic claims of paranormal activity. The uncritical acceptance of Price’s reports prompted a formal study by the Society for Psychical Research (SPR), which rejected most of the sightings as either imagined or fabricated and cast doubt on Price’s credibility. His claims are now generally discredited by ghost historians. Neither the SPR’s report nor the more recent biography of Price has quelled public interest in the stories, and new books and television documentaries continue to satisfy public fascination with the rectory. A short programme commissioned by the BBC about the alleged manifestations, scheduled to be broadcast in September 1956, was cancelled owing to concerns about a possible legal action by Marianne Foyster, widow of the last rector to live in the house. History Borley Rectory was constructed near Borley Church by the Reverend Henry Dawson Ellis Bull in 1862; he moved in a year after being named rector of the parish. The house replaced an earlier rectory on the site that had been destroyed by fire in 1841. It was eventually enlarged by the addition of a wing to house Bull’s family of fourteen children. The nearby church, the nave of which may date from the 12th century, serves a scattered rural community of three hamlets that make up the parish. There are several substantial farmhouses and the fragmentary remains of Borley Hall, once the seat of the Waldegrave family. Ghost hunters quote the legend of a Benedictine monastery supposedly built in this area in about 1362, according to which a monk from the monastery carried on a relationship with a nun from a nearby convent. After their affair was discovered, the monk was executed and the nun bricked up alive in the convent walls. It was confirmed in 1938 that this legend had no historical basis and seemed to have been fabricated by the rector’s children to romanticise their Gothic-style red-brick rectory. The story of the walling-up of the nun may have come from Rider Haggard’s novel Montezuma’s Daughter (1893) or Walter Scott’s epic poem Marmion (1808). Hauntings The first paranormal events apparently occurred in about 1863, since a few locals later remembered hearing unexplained footsteps within the house at about this time. On 28 July 1900, four daughters of the rector, Henry Dawson Ellis Bull, reported seeing what they thought was the ghost of a nun at twilight, about 40 yards (37 m) from the house; they tried to talk to it, but it disappeared as they got closer. The local organist recalled that the family at the rectory were “very convinced that they had seen an apparition on several occasions”. Various people were to claim to have witnessed a variety of puzzling incidents, such as a phantom coach driven by two headless horsemen, during the next four decades. Henry Dawson Ellis Bull died in 1892 and his son, the Reverend Harry Bull, took over the living. On 9 June 1928, Henry Foyster Bull, the rector, died and the rectory again became vacant. In the following year, on 2 October, the Reverend Guy Eric Smith and his wife moved into the home. Soon after moving in Mrs Smith, while cleaning out a cupboard, came across a brown paper package containing the skull of a young woman. Shortly after, the family reported a variety of incidents including the sounds of servant bells ringing despite their being disconnected, lights appearing in windows and unexplained footsteps. In addition, Mrs Smith believed she saw a horse-drawn carriage at night. The Smiths contacted the Daily Mirror asking to be put in touch with the Society for Psychical Research (SPR). On 10 June 1929 the newspaper sent a reporter, who promptly wrote the first in a series of articles detailing the mysteries of Borley. The paper also arranged for Harry Price, a paranormal researcher, to make his first visit to the house that would ultimately make him famous. He arrived on 12 June and immediately objective “phenomena” of a new kind appeared, such as the throwing of stones, a vase and other objects. “Spirit messages” were tapped out from the frame of a mirror. As soon as Harry Price left, these ceased. Mrs Smith later maintained that she already suspected Harry Price, an expert conjurer, of causing the phenomena. The Smiths left Borley on 14 July 1929, and the parish had some difficulty in finding a replacement. The following year the Reverend Lionel Algernon Foyster (1878–1945), a first cousin of the Bulls, and his wife Marianne (née Marianne Emily Rebecca Shaw) (1899–1992) moved into the rectory with their adopted daughter Adelaide, on 16 October 1930. Lionel Foyster wrote an account of various strange incidents that occurred between when he and his family moved in and October 1935, which he sent to Harry Price. They included bell-ringing, windows shattering, stones and bottle throwing, wall-writing, and their daughter being locked in a room with no key. Marianne Foyster reported to her husband a whole range of poltergeist phenomena that included her being thrown from her bed. On one occasion, Adelaide was attacked by “something horrible”. Foyster tried twice to conduct an exorcism, but his efforts were fruitless; in the middle of the first exorcism, he was struck in the shoulder by a fist-size stone. Because of the publicity in the Daily Mirror, these incidents attracted the attention of several psychic researchers, who after investigation were unanimous in suspecting that they were caused, consciously or unconsciously, by Marianne Foyster. Mrs Foyster later stated that she felt that some of the incidents were caused by her husband in concert with one of the psychic researchers, but other events appeared to her to be genuine paranormal phenomena. Marianne later admitted that she was having a sexual relationship with the lodger, Frank Pearless, and that she used paranormal explanations to cover up her liaisons. The Foysters left Borley in October 1935 as a result of Lionel’s ill health. Price investigation Borley remained vacant for some time after the Foysters’ departure, until in May 1937 Price took out a year-long rental agreement with Queen Anne’s Bounty, the owners of the property. Through an advertisement in The Times on 25 May 1937 and subsequent personal interviews, Price recruited a corps of 48 “official observers”, mostly students, who spent periods, mainly during weekends, at the rectory with instructions to report any phenomena that occurred. In March 1938 Helen Glanville (the daughter of S. J. Glanville, one of Price’s helpers) conducted a planchette séance in Streatham in south London. Price reported that she made contact with two spirits, the first of which was that of a young nun who identified herself as Marie Lairre. According to the planchette story Marie was a French nun who left her religious order and travelled to England to marry a member of the Waldegrave family, the owners of Borley’s 17th-century manor house, Borley Hall. She was said to have been murdered in an earlier building on the site of the rectory, and her body either buried in the cellar or thrown into a disused well. The wall writings were alleged to be her pleas for help; one read “Marianne, please help me get out”. The second spirit to be contacted identified himself as Sunex Amures, and claimed that he would set fire to the rectory at nine o’clock that night, 27 March 1938. He also said that, at that time, the bones of a murdered person would be revealed. Destroyed by fire On 27 February 1939 the new owner of the rectory, Captain W. H. Gregson, was unpacking boxes and accidentally knocked over an oil lamp in the hallway. The fire quickly spread and the house was severely damaged. After investigating the cause of the blaze the insurance company concluded that the fire had been started deliberately. Miss Williams from nearby Borley Lodge said she saw the figure of the ghostly nun in the upstairs window and, according to Harry Price, demanded a fee of one guinea for her story. In August 1943 Harry Price conducted a brief dig in the cellars of the ruined house and discovered two bones thought to be of a young woman. The bones were given a Christian burial in Liston churchyard, after the parish of Borley refused to allow the ceremony to take place on account of the local opinion that the bones found were those of a pig. Society for Psychical Research investigation After Price’s death in 1948 Eric Dingwall, Kathleen M. Goldney, and Trevor H. Hall, three members of the Society for Psychical Research, two of whom had been Price’s most loyal associates, investigated his claims about Borley. Their findings were published in a 1956 book, The Haunting of Borley Rectory, which concluded Price had fraudulently produced some of the phenomena. The “Borley Report”, as the SPR study has become known, stated that many of the phenomena were either faked or due to natural causes such as rats and the strange acoustics attributed to the odd shape of the house. In their conclusion, Dingwall, Goldney, and Hall wrote “when analysed, the evidence for haunting and poltergeist activity for each and every period appears to diminish in force and finally to vanish away.” Terence Hines wrote “Mrs. Marianne Foyster, wife of the Rev. Lionel Foyster who lived at the rectory from 1930 to 1935, was actively engaged in fraudulently creating phenomena. Price himself “salted the mine” and faked several phenomena while he was at the rectory.” Marianne later in her life admitted she had seen no apparitions and that the alleged ghostly noises were caused by the wind, friends she invited to the house and in other cases by herself playing practical jokes on her husband. Many of the legends about the rectory had been invented. The children of Rev. Harry Bull who lived in the house before Lionel Foyster claimed to have seen nothing and were surprised they had been living in what was described as England’s most haunted house. Robert Hastings was one of the few SPR researchers to defend Price. Price’s literary executor Paul Tabori and Peter Underwood have also defended Price against accusations of fraud. A similar approach was made by Ivan Banks in 1996. Michael Coleman in an SPR report in 1997 wrote Price’s defenders are unable to rebut the criticisms convincingly. [...] Read more...
Whatipu Caves
Whatipu Caves09/04/2016Locations 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