Bump in the night

STEVE HART goes ghost hunting in search of places to visit this Halloween.

If there are such things as ghosts and haunted places in New Zealand, then the time is almost right to visit them - Halloween is just days away.

The night of October 31 is synonymous with anything that goes bump in the night. But while it's one thing to see scary movies featuring haunted places - it's quite another to visit one.

In New Zealand numerous buildings are alleged to have a ghostly presence. One of them is the Racecourse Motel in Riccarton, Christchurch. The motel was built in 1883 and 50 years later its manager, Donald Fraser, was killed with two blasts from a shotgun while he slept. Police thought they knew who committed the murder but never charged anybody. Today, it's said Fraser haunts the upstairs of the old building.

Its manager, Keith Burgess, lives with ghostly goings on.



"The first floor is no longer used since we expanded with motel units in 1996," he says. "Some members of staff won't go up there because they say they get bad vibes.

"I know for a fact that doors slam upstairs, lights have been switched on and water taps turned on when it has been impossible for anyone without a key to get up there. I just go and turn things off. It doesn't worry me."

Another place said to be haunted is the Wellington Opera House. The ghost of Albert Liddy, the construction project manager, has apparently been seen in the building and is blamed for misfortunes that befall people who criticise it.

Pat Shields, who retired in 1990 as the theatre's manager, knows of staff who claimed to have seen two ghosts there.

"It is true that during construction in 1913 Albert Liddy shot and killed himself 'while of unbalanced mind' in a building on the site.

"There are plenty of old stories of people having accidents here after criticising the building. But it's impossible to say if the events are linked."

Duncan Ridd, manager of Stafford Gables YHA, in Dunedin, knows of ghostly goings-on there. The building used to be a hospital. Now three ghosts, thought to be of two patients and a nurse, are said to haunt the building.

"I have not experienced any of them, although there are a few odd noises in the hostel at night," says Ridd who has been there for four months. "There are things such as doors closing or opening without any influence of wind.

"Stories I have heard include the one about a ghost hopping into bed with hostellers, something or someone turning on all the hallway lights on the top floor simultaneously, and a warm, peaceful presence in some rooms.

"There are also rumours of a ghost in the common room who sits and listens to other hostellers talking.

"This woman appears as any normal person, aside from her dress which is a bit dated, and is only noticed to be a ghost when she suddenly disappears."

Other tales include people claiming they have been woken up by their bed shaking when there is no one else around.

Also in Dunedin is Larnach Castle which was completed in 1887. As you might expect, it is also said to have its own ghost. It could be the spirit of Eliza Jane Larnach or one of the patients who died there when it was a hospital.

Staff have heard the sound of footsteps and furniture being moved. Some visitors have also refused to go upstairs.

"Many people have felt something or someone touch the back of their neck while standing outside the south bedroom where it is thought the first Mrs Larnach died," says Sophie Barker, spokeswoman for Larnach Castle.

According to Barker the last known ghostly sighting was in 1987 when a visitor saw a character dressed in black in the study. He was so shocked that he refused to continue with the guided tour.

True or false? Who's to know? But the lure of ghosts and ghoulies is enduring.

Links


Larnach Castle

YHA New Zealand