New Zealand isn’t a typical country famous for its dark atmosphere, ghost stories, or haunted buildings. Far from this, the country is mostly associated with beautiful mountains and green landscapes, and the first image that usually comes to mind for those who’ve traveled there is light and warmth.
Still, it turns out even peaceful places hide dark histories behind. In New Zealand specifically, plenty of historic hotels, castles, prisons, and theaters have collected stories about strange figures, unexplained footsteps, and objects that seem to move on their own.
In this article, we’ll discuss 5 hotels and historic buildings in New Zealand that have a reputation for being haunted.
1. Waitomo Caves Hotel
When you glance at Waitomo Caves Hotel, chances are that you’ll think this building is an unlikely place for a ghost story. But spending a few minutes there is enough to feel the eerie atmosphere the walls of the building carry.
This hotel was built in 1908 above the famous Waitomo cave system, and thus, it combines even older buildings — an Edwardian Victorian wing from 1908 and a Spanish Mission-style extension, which was added in the late 1920s.
These days, the hotel provides almost every form of indoor entertainment for its visitors, whether it’s in the venue or online, including casino options listed in the BettingTop10 NZ casino guide. Nevertheless, guests often experience a different kind of excitement, which is related to unexplained noises and cold chills, which makes them believe the building is haunted.
2. Larnach Castle, Dunedin
New Zealand isn’t quite famous for castles, which could be one of the reasons why people can’t really imagine ghosts walking through their halls. In fact, Larnach Castle in Dunedin is New Zealand’s only castle, and not surprisingly, if any place in the country were going to develop a haunted reputation, it would be this one.
The castle was built by banker and politician William Larnach in 1871. Despite its impressive appearance, the building is a witness to plenty of family tragedies, deaths, and financial difficulties. That could be why visitors believe that the ghosts of the dead family members have never left the building. Sometimes they report smelling cigar smoke in empty rooms, and once this happens, they also feel someone push or touch them.
3. The Vulcan Hotel
If you ever visit the small town of St. Bathans, which used to be famous for gold mining, you won’t need to search long for its most famous building. The Vulcan Hotel has been located in the very central location of the town since 1882, and now it’s a Category 1 historic place, meaning that it has outstanding cultural significance to New Zealand.
The fact that it has survived for more than 140 years is already impressive, but most visitors are more interested in the guest who turns out never left. According to local legend, a woman known as the Rose of St. Bathans was murdered in Room 1. This happened after someone discovered that she had gold given to her by miners.
We can’t certainly say if Rose existed exactly as the legend describes, but the story has become so connected to the hotel that nowadays guests often request Room 1 just to hope they meet her.
4. St James Theatre
In addition to hotels and castles, there’s another cultural building in New Zealand that is thought to be haunted, and it’s the St. James Theatre in Wellington. The theater has been operating since 1912 and has hosted various types of performances, films, Shakespeare plays, and ballets.
Considering its dark corridors, old interior, and more than a century of performances, it’s easy to understand why the theater has collected so many ghost stories. Its most famous ghost is thought to be a Russian performer, Yuri, who fell from the rigging above the stage. Based on some versions of the legend, he was pushed by another performer who was jealous of his success. Either way, his ghost knows wonders in the hallways of the St. James Theatre, but interestingly, Yuri isn’t considered dangerous by those who have met him.
5. Napier Prison
The final haunted building in our list is neither a hotel nor any type of entertainment place. Instead, it’s Napier Prison, one of New Zealand’s oldest prisons. This building truly has a very dark history that still haunts everybody who has ever walked through the building.
It began operating in 1862 and remained a prison until 1993. Only the fact that thousands of prisoners passed through the building and several executions took place there during the 19th century is enough to understand why people started reporting paranormal activities.
The prison still attracts plenty of paranormal investigators and ghost hunters because of its supernatural stories, narrow cells, and old graffiti.
Bottom Line
Whether you believe in ghosts or not, chances are that New Zealand’s haunted buildings will give you enough chills to reconsider your beliefs. So if, by any chance, you’re visiting New Zealand and you’d love to hear unexplained footsteps, meet mysterious figures, or see moving objects, these 5 buildings are where you should start.
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