Beware for bumps in the night when staying at one of the most haunted hotels in New Zealand. Photo / 123rf
Beware for bumps in the night when staying at one of the most haunted hotels in New Zealand. Photo / 123rf
All Hallow’s Eve is just around the corner and if you enjoy the ghoulish goings on during this time of year, it’s the perfect chance to pay a visit to the most haunted hotels in New Zealand and even stay the night, if you dare.
With all the through traffic and things that go bump in the night, it’s not surprising that holiday homes and inns collect their fair share of ghosts. In fact, some of these are considered the most haunted spots in all of Aotearoa.
So, here’s a list of the most famously haunted and super spooky hotels in New Zealand.
The Riccarton Racecourse Hotel, Christchurch
Considered to be one of the most haunted buildings in New Zealand, there is a troubled past to this Christchurch hotel by the racecourse in Riccarton.
Supposedly the ghost of former licensee Donald Fraser continues to walk the halls, the site of his murder in 1933. His wife claimed not to have shot Fraser in the middle of the night with a double-barrelled shotgun and was acquitted of his murder, but for some reason this disembodied spectre is determined to find her.
The Riccarton Racecourse Hotel. Photo / Supplied
Larnach Castle in Dunedin
Larnach has the novel claim of not only being New Zealand’s only castle but being “New Zealand’s only haunted castle.”
A clan of poltergeists occupy this Dunedin relic. There have been over fifty reports of guests being pushed by invisible hands and things going bump in the night.
The hotel is a popular employer for Otago students, more than one of whom have ghost stories from late night shifts and mischievous rooms that 'untidy' themselves.
The art deco Foveaux is home to one permanent resident. It would appear a ghost called Mary is there indefinitely.
The owner Ms Shelton claims to have seen Mary on more than one occasion. Supposedly she is the ghost of Mary Cameron, owner of the Temperance Boardinghouse which was demolished to make way for the Foveax.
She is said to be “a friendly” ghost but is known to slam doors when upset.
Best to leave the booze alone and be on your best behaviour when in the paranormal presence of the old Temperance mistress.
Burnt down and rebuilt in 1901, the hotel on the Wairoa River has a constant ghostly occupant. James Carmody didn't escape the fire and is still there haunting the hotel today. The Licensee by all accounts was just as unfortunate. His two other hotels burnt down in similarly mysterious circumstances around the same time.
Carmody is said to be summoned by open fires and the lit matches of guests. Smokers beware!
Cambridge Hotel, Wellington. Photo / Facebook.com
Cambridge Hotel, Wellington
Named after the founder’s alma mater – Cambridge sounds like a thoroughly respectable place. It even played host to the Queen in 1963. However it’s not just royalty gracing the halls. According to Paranormal New Zealand guests have complained of “pressure on the bed, like a cat has just jumped up”, or an uneasy feeling at the top of the stairs, “as if you are about to fall, or be pushed.”
It's best to hold the handrail.
This article was first published in The New Zealand Herald October 26 2018.
