Otago 2

Arrowtown Ghost
A story by email

For about 4years I rented and lived in the old Presbyterian church manse in Arrowtown. It was built in the late 1800s and was pretty much still in its original condition. The place was always a bit creepy but we didn,t care we loved the charm and personality of the place. From the start I sensed a presence and many cold waves that would woft through the rooms but we would always put it down to something else.

One day my flat mate bought home a horror movie that we proceeded to watch.We were about half way through the movie when this big wind whipped through the house strong enough to just about blow the french doors wide open. It lasted for about 30 seconds then stopped. There were no windows open, and no wind outside.

Later on, I lived in the old house by my self and was woken on a nightly basis by noises like somebody walking around the house and opening doors, my dog would just growl. There was one occassion where the dog wouldn't come out of the bedroom. Something in the hallway was scaring her, and she just kept cowering in the doorway.

I spent a bit of time at the Presbyterian church praying for the restless spirit and it seemed to calm things down. Though it wasn't long before I shifted.

Darryll Hoskin - sent Thursday, May 29, 2003 11:42 PM

Stafford Gables YHA

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 rumors 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.

Steve Hart

Revisited

I'm from Dunedin, New Zealand and this photo was taken by my partner a year ago after we had a small win in a lottery. After going on a spending spree we decided to take a photo of what we had bought to e-mail to our folks to show them that the money was being put to good use. I wasn’t in the room at the time but my partner said that he stood up on the couch in order to stop the glare on the TV from a near by window. He used a digital camera.

On the TV at the time was a British drama called Brideshead Revisited staring Jeremy Irons, and anyone who knows of the program would know  that the only thing that  is scary about it is the bad eighties hair.

There is in no way any scenes of horror or ghostly faces. Just a bunch of upper class  British folk sitting around talking about how “spiffing” life was So you would imagine my surprise when I was about to e-mail the photo to my parents and I noticed what looks like two faces in the TV. One looking over Jeremy’s shoulder and another kinda sneaking in on the left hand side. I have absolutely no idea of what they are. The flat we were living in at the time was over a hundred  years old but in the year that we stayed there we saw no ghostly activity at all. It was damp, smelly, moldy and falling apart around us and quite  frankly I hated the place, (we were poor students and thought that for the price and location it was a bargain, HA!). Anyway I sent the photo off  to different ghost sites last year and all of them said that they couldn’t  explain the phenomena.

Marolyn

Dem Bones

Some years ago, a tramping party making a crossing of Harpers Pass in the Southern Alps. Crossed the Harper and headed down the Taramakau.

They reached the hut just before nightfall, while out collecting firewood one of the party found the skeletal remains of, as he though an old gold miner. As a joke he took one of the leg bones back to the hut, later as they sat around the fire, telling stories, no doubt a few good ghost stories.

They all began to feel uncomfortable as the temperature in the hut suddenly dropped. It was decided that the leg bone was the source of the problem.

One of the group took the bone, opened the door and threw the bone as far away as possible. Everyone settled down to an otherwise uneventful night.
Next morning as they passed by the old skeleton, they couldn't help but notice, that there in its proper place, was the leg bone.

Ghosts at ******** St, Roslyn, Dunedin?

I have a niece who used to live at the above address, and who on two occasions saw some ghosts. A mother with a little boy to be exact. They appeared in the middle of the night, standing by her bed, just watching her.

There were also a few weird occasions of windows and doors opening and shutting and no-one being there! 
My niece flatted with two other girls, one who did see the ghosts as well and the other never saw them!
I'm just wondering if you've ever heard of what might've happened there? To me it seems like they must've lived there a while ago, as, according to my niece, their clothing was old-fashioned.
I'm interested in finding the story behind the ghosts. 
Regards

Jacqui - Sent: Monday, February 04, 2002 05:37 PM (Street Address withheld)

Sorry Jacqui, I don't have any information on this one, perhaps someone out there might be able to contact you or me and add more to the story.

Early Ghost Story

Hello all,

Love your site , I grew up in Auckland but my family came from Dunedin. Just for the records I will tell you of a very old ghost story. The circa would be approx 1898 and the place was St Kilda I think.

My great grand fathers name was Olaf Sedal and he married Emily LeBrunn. This story dates back to their early married life, and was told to me by my grandmother, Ollie. Its not all that exiting but it really happened.

Anyway, quite early in their married life they rented a house somewhere in St Kilda and due to Emily having tuberculosis and coughing a lot at night they slept in separate rooms. After a couple of nights she complained of feeling hands around her throat trying to choke her. From what my grandmother says he was a somewhat of a hard man, and put his young wive's complaints down to her illness, but he did eventually agree to change rooms with her.

The first night in his new room he was also attacked by the feeling of unseen hands around his throat trying to choke the life from him. Not being amused by this, he immediately went to speak to the real-estate agent who rented him the property. Reluctantly the agent informed him that the last person to live in that house hanged himself in the same front room. My great-grandparents left the property the same day. His young wife died about 6 years after this, and they are both buried in St Kilda cemetery.

Judy at missmegera@dodo.com.au - sent Friday, 12 April 2002 2:04 a.m.

 

BEACH HOTEL DUNEDIN
The story behind it is that the Beach hotel in Dunedin has recently closed & has been demolished.
I had the opportunity to look around the building after it closed.
A previous owner had mentioned to me that strange things used to happen in the upstairs accomodation area. In one particular room 'mischevious' things would happen like shoes were moved or hidden from where they were left by the occupier of the room. Lights were being turned on in that same room when it was unoccupied.
Cupboards in the hall would open on their own when the latches on them were fine.
Occasionally, in the early hours the owner would hear what sounded like children talking softly & the sound of running down the hallway usually followed. No children were staying there a those times.
When given the chance to look over the building before demolition, I couldn't refuse, so I took my camera & took a few pictures upstairs & downstairs for historys sake more than anything.

It was only the other night I was having a look at them on the computer screen ( as oppossed to the tiny camera screen) and noticed what is no doubt a ghostly figure of a child in the hallway.
It gives me the creeps every time I see it now.
Alas, the building is no more. It will be interesting to see if any of the flats that will no doubt be built on the section will inherit this free lodger.
Story by Spooky (Dunedin)