New Zealand’s most haunted suburbs

In the 1920s, a young woman and her newly wed husband were driving along the winding road near Maruia falls. They were heading to their honeymoon destination when their car lost control on one of the sharp turns and plunged into the waterfall. Both died in the accident, with the bride still in her wedding dress.

Since then, numerous motorists and visitors to the falls have reported seeing a woman in a white wedding dress standing at the edge of the falls, particularly on misty nights. Local legend suggests that she's searching for her husband or warning other travellers about the dangerous road. A century later, the legend of the ghost bride of Maruia Falls continues to captivate imagination with many locals and tourists visiting the falls at night hoping to catch a glimpse of the ghost bride.

We simply love the paranormal.

After all, Halloween's roots stretch back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, first celebrated almost 3000 years ago. The Celts believed that on the night of October 31, which marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, the boundary between the living and the dead blurred, allowing ghosts to return to earth.

Today, especially in New Zealand where the 31st of October falls in spring rather than autumn, Halloween is celebrated as a fun cultural import expressed through costumes, decorations, and fantasy. It's from this playful perspective that we've mapped reported haunted locations across New Zealand and compared them to local house prices.

Our research uncovered 82 haunted locations across New Zealand, with Auckland emerging as the most haunted region, boasting 31 reported sites, followed by Otago with 17 and Waikato with seven. Almost half (37) of these spectral spots are in public spaces such as parks, museums, asylums, hospitals, and cemeteries. The second-largest category comprises hotels, pubs, and restaurants, with 25 locations. Private homes account for only nine haunted sites, while the remaining 11 include entire towns and natural landmarks like lakes and caves.

Notable haunted locations include Larnach Castle in Dunedin, where the spirits of the tragic Larnach family are said to roam, particularly that of William Larnach’s first wife, Kate. The St Bathans Vulcan Hotel in Central Otago is haunted by "The Rose," a young woman reportedly murdered in Room 1 in the 1880s, with many guests claiming encounters with her spirit. Napier Prison, New Zealand’s oldest prison, is another popular destination for ghost tours due to its dark history.