Atom Go Tian
Senior Data Analyst
Ray White Group
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.
Dunedin Central stands out as the suburb with the highest number of haunted locations, featuring seven spectral sites. Auckland Central and Te Aro in Wellington follow with four and three reported hauntings, respectively. Among the top 10 suburbs, Auckland dominates with six entries, while Otago, Wellington, Canterbury, and Hawke’s Bay each feature once.
One might expect that haunted locations would correspond with low sales activity and property values. However, prices vary significantly across these haunted hotspots. In densely populated regions like Wellington and Auckland, economic and social factors seem to overshadow paranormal narratives. Notably, we have several million-dollar suburbs on our list, including Te Aro, Takapuna, Onehunga, and Mount Albert. In contrast, Dunedin Central has the lowest median house price at $550,000, which could stem from its haunted sites, low economic activity, or isolated location.
Interestingly, only two of the top 10 suburbs experienced negative growth. Te Aro in Wellington saw a 17.5 per cent decline in median house prices over the past five years, now at $1.25 million, while Takapuna dropped 23.5 per cent to $2.1 million. Auckland Central did not record enough residential house sales to establish a significant median. Aside from these, the haunted suburbs largely displayed positive price growth, with Sockburn in Canterbury showing the strongest increase at 46.7 per cent.
While it’s tempting to draw connections between haunted locations and property values, the reality is more nuanced. Our price data only goes as low as ABS SA2 levels, which cover a much wider area than a ghost might haunt. Additionally, the rare and unverifiable nature of paranormal activity means our analysis remains on a strictly surface level.
Still, in the spirit of Halloween, it’s entertaining to speculate about the influence of ghosts, spirits, and unusual activity on the fascinating arc that is New Zealand house prices.
Download charts here.
Media contacts:
Atom Go Tian
Ray White Group
Senior data analyst
agotian@raywhite.com
+61 422 089 938
Cassandra Glover
Ray White Group
Senior media advisor
cglover@raywhite.com
+61 447 000 472