Fancy a fright this Friday the 13th?
So, have you heard the story about the Newton Ghost?
In 1901 a terrifying apparition stalked the streets of Newton and Eden Terrace. According to those who saw it, the ghost was clad in a white sheet which seemed to emit a phosphorescent glow…
There is more to read about the Newton ghost, but this isn’t the only spooky Auckland story…
Maungauika / North Head
Strategically located at the entrance to the Waitemata Harbour, Maungauika / North Head has sweeping views over the Hauraki Gulf and its islands. It has a long history that includes Māori settlement, coastal defence fortifications including tunnels, and of course, the ‘hidden tunnels’.
The hidden tunnels were said to contain two original WWII aeroplanes and decaying ammunition that was reportedly heard firing during the night. Sadly, archival research and archaeological investigation have shown this to be untrue. Still, if you visit the existing tunnel complex today, it’s easy to imagine they built secret tunnels underneath… and local stories of hauntings make it all the more spooky.
Ship graveyard Rangitoto Island
True to its name, Wreck Bay in the north of Rangitoto is home to a ship graveyard. The bay has at least thirteen shipwrecks and some of them can be seen at low tide.
While most of the ships were actually scuttled (not wrecked) between 1887 and 1947, they still make for pretty spooky viewing.
Symonds Street Cemetery
Symonds Street Cemetery was the first official cemetery in Auckland, in use from 1842. It is located in 5.8 hectares of forest on the western slope of Grafton Gully, by the corner of Symonds Street and Karangahape Road, and is crossed by the Grafton Bridge. The cemetery was closed for burials in 1886, other than to existing family plots, and no new plots were sold.
Why not take the Hobson Walk and explore our oldest public cemetery… if you dare.
Alberton House
Situated on the lower slopes of Mt Albert and once the centrepiece of a 500-acre country estate, Alberton began life as a two-storey farmhouse built in 1863. It belonged to Allan Kerr Taylor, and as his wealth and family grew, so did the size of Alberton. In 1872 Alberton was expanded to a fashionable 18-room mansion. For the latter part of the nineteenth-century it was renowned for events such as balls, hunts and garden parties attended by Auckland social elite.
Sounds lovely doesn’t it? Well, it seems that that even the ghosts are nice at Alberton…
Alberton Manager Rendell McIntosh says, “people have reported seeing a woman dressed in Victorian clothes, mainly on the first floor, where the bedrooms were.
“One man came downstairs and asked the woman on reception who the woman upstairs was. She answered ‘you were the only one up there’.”
Rendell says that all the sightings are of happy people, “Alberton has always been a happy place”.
Source: Paranormal New Zealand.
Do you have a spooky story about Auckland to share? Tell us in the comments below.