Waitomo Caves Hotel

My night in what is known as the most haunted hotel in New Zealand.

Please note that what happened to me at this hotel is true - however, this does not provide conclusive evidence that proves the existance of the paranormal. I have no concrete explanation or theory behind what happened to me. Perhaps some things are better left unexplained.

History and background information
My experience
Pics

History and background information

The Waitomo Caves Hotel is a well known paranormal hotspot, situated in a small village called Waitomo which is in the North Island of New Zealand. The source of the spiritual activity is unknown - perhaps it is due to the fact that underneath the hotel lies sacred Maori caves, where Maoris were buried in the olden days, or perhaps it is due to the several deaths that have taken place inside the hotel itself. Maybe a bit of both?

Many years ago, a male guest committed suicide in his room after the spirit of a Maori princess walked through him. He could not cope with having this happen to him, so after downing a few drinks in the bar, he headed up to his room (Room 14) and slashed his wrists in the bathtub. This bathtub - in the very same room that Queen Elizabeth II stayed in in 1950 - is known to drip blood. A maid was doing her cleaning routine and noticed the bloody bath tub, went to tell the manager, and on their return the bathtub was squeaky clean.

The aforementioned Maori princess is said to haunt the upstairs area of the hotel, with the centre of the haunting being the Honeymoon Suite. However, on occasion she is also seen in other rooms in the vicinity, and of a night she is heard moaning in the hallways, looking for her lost love.

The kitchen area of the hotel is said to be haunted by a young boy by the name of Daniel. This little boy was smuggled into the servants' living quarters at night, by his mother. Apparently Daniel's existance was kept a secret, due to the fact that he was illegitimate. He was playing in the kitchen, when he accidentally upset a huge pot of boiling water, which fell on top of him. He died of third degree burns.

Typing in "Waitomo Caves Hotel+Haunted" into Google can easily lead you to many tales from guests who have endured terrifying nights in this hotel. One guest awoke at 4am in the morning to the sound of a high pitched scream. In another instance, a guest from South Africa suddenly woke up in the middle of the night feeling chilled to the bone. He then noticed a bright light in the bathroom, and he lay awake in fear, watching this light, for well over half an hour. The light eventually went away and the room became warm again. As he was departing from the hotel the following morning, he was approached by another guest, asking him if he had "seen the ghost". The guest then told him that she had suddenly woken up at 2am to feel a presence in her room...

Several ghost hunting teams have investigated this hotel. In 2001, the team from Hauntings investigated. Quoting from The Shadowlands:

The male presenter slept in a small cupboard room near the infamous long, dark hall in the basement and reported that he heard wheels of a trolley and footsteps and the female presenter chose to sleep in the grand dining room, she got woken up with a start as something tugged hard at her big toe. They also got in a psychic and she claimed that there was a young girl standing by the fireplace in the dining room and that she could hear music, they then went up to one of the 'problematic' rooms and they couldn't get into the room, even though they had the master key to it, the psychic said that she felt a lot of anger coming from that room and that the man in the room was yelling that he just wanted to be left alone. Some time later they were able to open the door to the room, only for the psychic to get very uncomfortable and had to leave, the door slammed hard behind them by itself, they tried the door again and it was locked.
In the mid 2000's, a team of actors took on the role of 'paranormal investigators' in the TV series Ghost Hunt. During their visit, the image of a phantom was captured on film, hovering outside one of the windows in the upstairs hallway. A bright green vortex - (a portal used by spirits to manifest) was also captured inside the hotels' ballroom.

I feel that I should take the time to explain my feelings about the team in Ghost Hunt. Carolyn Taylor, the female investigator, disappointed myself and many others greatly. In every single episode, she ended up 'freaking out' near the end, and vital photo opportunities were lost as she, time and time again, let her fear get the better of her, abandoning the mission and running back to the safety of the van. I do not have a problem with Carolyn Taylor as a person, I just feel that perhaps the role of paranormal investigator was not suitable for her. A paranormal investigator, be it amateur or professional, should have pluck - truckloads of it - they should be dedicated and should give 100% when it comes to missions. Especially missions that are televised, and earn you money...

My experience

I'd read all about the Waitomo Caves Hotel. I remember telling my partner James all about it, with him saying "We SOOO have to stay there, Lady!". I remember saying "Yeah!", but thinking to myself "Yeah right!". I'd never been in the area of Waitomo before, and doubted that I ever would, as it is in a rather remote location.

On the afternoon of Saturday April 14th, 2007, we decided to take a drive. We were living in Rotorua at the time, and we were bored and had nothing to do. Driving is a popular pastime for the both of us, so it was decided we'd go on a little trip. As usual, we had no idea where we'd end up - we just drove, enjoying the scenery and being out on the open road. A few hours later we saw a sign leading to Waitomo. I remembered the hotel, and suggested we drive there and have a look. Soon enough, we arrived in the small village of Waitomo, and, almost immediately, we saw the hotel. Perched upon a steep hill overlooking the village, it certainly fitted its reputation of 'haunted hotel'.

We drove up the steep driveway and parked in front of the hotel. It was an amazing feeling being right in front of the place, after having read so much about it in the past. We sat in the car for a while, and I got out my computer on impulse and decided to re-read some of the ghost stories about the place. At the time I was on a wireless internet connection that relied on cellphone coverage, and of course as you know my computer is an Apple iBook. However, the graphics on my internet browser were displaying strangely - images were blurry and skewed. I opened up another internet browser instead but the problem remained. Everything else on the computer was fine, except for internet graphics. I am very much attached to my computer, I paid good money for it and was extremely concerned about this. I looked it up in the help section and found out that, apparently, sometimes graphic images display incorrectly due to...something to do with a high level of magnetic...something...in the area?! I can't quite remember. Put off by the way my computer was displaying images, I decided to shut it down.

We stepped out of the car, and I walked around the building, taking pictures. A few minutes later, my camera died, which was about right because it had been low on battery. I'd only taken a few pictures...I'd wanted a more thorough exploration...so I asked James if he thought we might as well stay the night here, so I could charge my camera and whatnot. We went inside the hotel and enquired about the rates at the reception desk. Surprisingly, the tariff was very agreeable. From the outside, the hotel looked very well-to-do, and so did the reception area. The man behind the counter seemed very eager in having us stay, and he offered to show us around. He took us up to the room in which we'd possibly be staying in, if I decided to do so. I was immediately taken aback by the freezing temperature in the hallways. It was a sunny afternoon, and I couldn't understand why the massive drop in temperature, especially as there were heaters present. He said "I can't understand why it's so cold up here today", and I simply replied with a "Hmm". He knew why it was cold, but I suppose he asssumed I knew nothing of the hotels' colourful history. The temperature seemed to get even colder as we progressed down the upstairs hallways. We eventually arrived in front of the room we'd be staying in - and let me tell you, the word 'modest' would be an understatement when describing how the room looked. Oh well...the place was apparently haunted and perhaps a spook or two would justify the price, which I originally thought was a good deal. After seeing the room however, I knew I was being ripped off! I thanked the man for showing us around and told him we'd come back in a few minutes if we decided to stay. We went back to the car and talked it over. I decided to try my computer once more. As I loaded up PSGR, I was disappointed to see that the internet graphics were still displaying incorrectly. I tried to ignore this as I blogged:

"If we do stay here, you'd better believe that I will be walking the halls in the dead of night taking pictures and other foolish activities that sceptics will no doubt be scoffing at. Damn poltergeists messing round with peoples things...well I tell you this right now, I'm not having no damm dead ghost playing 'round with my computer. Fucken leave it alone. Don't touch my shoes either, they're expensive. Not that a ghost would understand, seeing as they're pretty inept when it comes to fashion oriented matters. Should I stay at the haunted hotel and combat ghosts head on? Or take the passive approach and spend the night in the car? I'll come back on soon and tell you!"

We eventually decided to stay. After all, not everyone can say they've stayed the night in a haunted hotel, it'd be a once in a lifetime opportunity. We got our luggage out of the car and went back inside to reception. The man seemed quite 'delighted' that I'd decided to stay, it was strange really...perhaps they didn't really get many guests due to its haunted reputation.

James attempted to pay for the room with my cash card. Doing so is always a simple procedure - you swipe your card in the handheld terminal, enter your PIN number, and press "Savings", if the money is coming out of your savings account. James has done this a million times. However, it came up declined. Irritated, I came over and asked what was wrong. James was baffled - he hadn't done anything wrong and he assured me he'd pressed all the right buttons. I watched him attempt the transaction a second time, and indeed, he was doing everything correctly. Still, it ended up saying declined. The cashier tried to make out that I had no money, and I became irate. I had well over $1000 in my account! Weirded out, I decided to have a try myself. I did exactly what James had done, but, when I pressed enter it came up with "accepted". Strange. Perhaps a playful spirit was trying to play a joke on us? How rude. The cashier then came back to the counter and tried to make out that we hadn't paid. I sharply informed him that we had, and he attempted to check his 'records', which came up with nothing. The volcano that is PSGR was on the verge of erupting...and then he finally came across proof that we'd paid. "You're not very good, are you?" I said. We went up to the room, and I went to charge my camera. Unfortunately, the other powerpoint was broken, and we needed it to plug in the tv. Only one plughole was working, so we decided to charge the camera first, before doing anything else. I came back on PSGR:

"It's freezing, and we're staying here tonight. We went to pay, using my Eftpos card. James tried it once - declined. I was quite concerned, knowing for a fact that there was over $1,400 in my account. He tried again - declined. "Are there any cash machines in this hol...town?" I said to the concierge, irritably. I was about to say hole, but stopped myself. He said there wasn't. I said that I'd try the card myself, and sure enough it got accepted straight away. I had been watching James though and he'd been pressing the right buttons - account type, pin, etc. Somehow I knew it'd go right for me if I tried it. Then the concierge made out he hadn't seen the word "Accepted" on the Eftpos terminal. Boiling, I said "Yes it was there!, you saw didn't you James!!". And then he finally noticed it in his records or some shit, and made some feeble excuse. "You're not much good are you" I remarked, and he said nothing. The room is absolutely freezing, even with the heater on. It's not even winter yet - winter officially starts in May. Mysterious banging noises coming from god knows where, but whatever. I'm going to give my camera a quick charge and then take a few pictures of the place. I'll be back on later - this has only just started! "

It was absolutely freezing inside the room, and although I was wrapped up warmly I was shivering. I couldn't get over how cold it was! I'd never been this cold indoors before. I waited around half an hour and decided to take my camera off the charger, as I was eager to walk around the hotel taking pictures. I could give the camera a full charge later. James decided that he'd memorise the location of certain things in the room, to see if they'd been moved in our absence. After reading dozens of stories about the place, I knew that guests were prone to having their stuff moved around when no one was in the room. James made sure he knew where everything was placed. Before we left, I asked James to take a picture of me near the door, which seemed to be a particularly cold area. I made sure that the flash was off before the picture was taken. As I stood there waiting for James to take the picture, I felt like I was about to pass out. The picture will be included at the end of this article.

We had a walk around the hotel. Some areas were nicer than others, but overall the interior was rather drab. A pity, as the hotels' exterior was so elegant and reminiscent of colonial times. I noticed with interest that the number 13 had been left out of all the rooms. They'd simply skipped it. Room 10, 11, 12, 12 A,...14. Room 110, 111, 112, 114...how strange! It's just a number...

Some time later, we arrived outside our room again. As James was unlocking the door, I was filled with dread - what if things had been moved around? What could that mean for me, the skeptic, who is quietly terrified (yet curious) of all things paranormal?

I lingered in the doorframe as James ventured inside and checked the room, as well as the bathroom. A magazine had been on top of the TV before we left, arranged in a certain way. Now, it was on a completely different angle. It had been moved. I muttered some lame comment about how a draft had probably swivelled it round as we left the room, but the magazine was nowhere near the door, plus there had been no draft according to James. He then went into the bathroom and came out again, white as a sheet. A towel had been tossed into the bath, it lay near the plughole in a crumpled heap. The towel rack was nowhere near the bath, and James would have noticed if the towel had been in the bath beforehand. I didn't like this one little bit. I felt vulnerable. I didn't understand what was going on around me, and I didn't like it. I lay there on the bed, with my computer, shivering in the freezing temperature and on the verge of tears. I had left my computer on the bed when we left the room - if only the computer had eyes...what would it have seen? Man, if my computer had been moved there would have been hell to pay! It doesn't matter if you're living or dead, don't touch my gear! An only child by name and nature, I am naturally very protective of my belongings. James made me a cup of tea to settle my nerves, and I continued to blog. I took a few sips of tea and placed the cup on the floor next to the bed, since there wasn't even a bedside table in the room. Since there was a saucer involved, I placed the cup on top of it. A few minutes later I went to get the cup for another sip, and to my horror I noticed that the cup was no longer in the saucer. It had been placed beside the saucer instead, when only a few minutes earlier I had placed it ON TOP. James couldn't have done this because he had been sitting on the opposite end of the bed the whole time. The cup and saucer had been right next to me, on the floor. I began to cry. "Something" had been very close to me, "something" had played a trick on me. Well, I'm not one to appreciate paranormal tomfoolery, let me tell you that right now. I was frozen in fear, and the chilling temperatures weren't exactly helping. Then something blew in my ear. "Fuck this shit!" I wailed. "Fucken leave me alone". Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to cuss out the paranormal, but I couldn't help but add "You sack of shit!". Then I noticed that the door to the room was open. I asked James why he hadn't closed the door, and he said he had. In fact, he said he had made a point of closing the door. This was getting way to much for me, and I was now hysterical. I got off the bed and stood in the middle of the room. I felt like a fully-fledged mental, but I firmly said: "Leave me alone. Go away. In the name of God, go away". I felt so much better after saying this.

Nothing else happened that night, and the temperature returned to normal. I kept hearing random banging noises down the hall, but I put it down to guests arriving. We watched a few movies on TV, and at around 2am we turned the TV off to go to bed. I lay there talking with James for a while, and as I was doing so I noticed that his face was beginning to change. It became smaller, fatter, and rather evil looking. Since his face was quite close to mine at the time I just thought that my eyes were playing tricks on me. After all, what else could it have been?

I asked for the light to remain on, and I huddled close to the wall, too scared to turn around and face the room. I was restless and couldn't sleep. I felt so uneasy in the room...just remembering everything that had occured a few hours earlier. I woke up James and told him that I was going outside for a cigarette. It was now the middle of the night and I didn't feel much like smoking, but I just needed an excuse to get out of the room. James thought I was mad for wanting to get up - going outside for a smoke would mean walking the long corridors of the dark hotel. I didn't care though, I just wanted to get out of the room. As we walked through the halls, loud banging noises were heard. I told James to lead me and I looked at the ground as I walked...too scared to look up. We eventually made it outside for a cigarette. As I stood outside smoking, I looked behind me into the hotel and saw some strange yellowy lights floating around the ballroom....

We headed back into the hotel after our cigarettes. The banging was deafening, and I'm sure I heard moaning coming from down the hall. We quickened our pace, and ended up running back to our room. However, I was still restless. I was so upset about being there - I just wanted to leave! How could I sleep? How could I survive the night? I lay down again, just staring at the wall. Then I felt something violently shove me. I immediately shot down the bed, crying "Mummy!!". James hadn't shoved me, as he'd been in the bathroom. I couldn't stand it here any longer, I wanted to leave dammit! I told James I was going to go and sleep in the car, but he wouldn't hear of it, saying that it'd be too unsafe. I was so angry with him! I resented having to stay there, I really did. It's one thing going to an apparently haunted location, getting a few spooks, and then running away. But having to endure a full night there, with no escape? No thanks! I fully regretted my decision of wanting to stay. Then I heard a high pitched scream down the hallway. I had never been so scared in my life. I made James sit up in bed until he knew I had fallen asleep. I recited the Lords' Prayer over and over, until I eventually drifted off to sleep.

We woke up around 8am - yay, we could finally leave! It only took me a few minutes to pack my bags and get my things together. But where were my shoes? I had left them near the heater, opposite the bed, but they were no longer there. I eventually found them stacked neatly next to the cupboard, on the opposite side of the room. I decided I'd mention it in the car - right now I wanted to concentrate on getting the hell out of there! I went straight to the car while James went to reception to give the key back. James joined me in the car shortly afterwards. I told him about the shoes, and in turn he told me about an incident with his jeans. Before he went to bed, he had taken his jeans off and had placed them on top of his suitcase, in the middle of the room. When he had gone to put them on this morning, he noticed that they were positively sacturated. There had been no spillages anywhere and he couldn't understand why they were sopping wet! However, he put them on anyway and while we were in the room still he hadn't told me about it because I would have become terrified all over again. He also told me that as he lay upright in bed that night, waiting for me to fall asleep, he noticed his face changing in the mirror. I asked him to describe what it looked like and it matched the way I had seen it also. I then told him that I had noticed the same thing with him earlier on.

I didn't look back as we drove away from the Waitomo Caves Hotel. I doubted that I would ever return to that place, and that it would take a long time for me to recover from that horrible night.

Pictures

I was right, too. I've never spoken of the place out loud again, and I have trouble sleeping at night. I'm extremely jumpy, to the point where it's quite pathetic. Over time, I have gone through all the images I took of the place, some of which came up with some interesting results.

Here's the picture of me near the door:

A few months after the incident I decided to post this image on a forum called NZ Ghosts. Many other members had posted similar pictures and so I felt comfortable in posting mine. However, as a result of my posting the image I was accused of many inappropriate things. See, some of the members had analysed the picture and put it through an image editor to try and bring out my face. The results were disturbing - my face looked totally different, and not like me at all:

Here's a picture of what I normally look like:

I was asked whether I had been on drugs or alcohol at the time, or did I play with an ouija board or conduct a seance to bring out the spirits. Hurt and offended, I firmly stated to the members (who are all considerably older than myself) that I did nothing of the sort. In response to this, a member once again posted a message saying that she "firmly believed I knew what I was doing". I spoke to Bella, a daily visitor to PSGR and an esteemed spiritual healer. She agreed with me in that the accusations were inappropriate:

Anyway, I think (name removed) and the others who are making these accusations have done it very irresponsibly. Have they not thought that the negative energy they are picking up on has more to do with the apparition than you? Even if you were suffering from some of the problems they described, it's an extremely nasty thing to say and it has nothing to do with the photo you brought to the board, which even they are interested in!

All I had done was post a picture, yet I was being accused of willingly channelling spirits! How outrageous. The only reason why I asked for help re this picture was because I was curious as to how I looked in it. For all I know it could be a double exposure or a problem with the lens, and I was curious as to what the response would be if I consulted 'experts'. Never in a million years did I expect that, instead of help, I would be accused of being under the influence or of conducting a kiddie seance. The members of this forum, all in the 30-50 + age bracket, read this article on Waitomo Caves Hotel and decided to launch another attack on me, labelling me a 'cocky, arrogant brat' and that the fact that I had been offended over the suggestion of taking drugs meant that I had actually been guilty of taking them. These comments were all made by grown adults. If you'd like to read more about this, check out Nellie's blog: NZ Ghosts FTL! This picture was also analysed by Bobbi-Lee, who pointed out that the face inside the orb looked similar to how my own face looked in the photo:

Dain spotted what could possibly be an orb in one of my hallway pictures, as seen here:

And while going through the pictures myself, I spotted what looks like a face staring at me out of one of the hotel windows. See the black and white picture at the very beginning of this article? I took the original (which is absolutely massive) and zoomed in...and came across this:

You may have to come up close to the picture to see the face, as it is very faint.

A trick of the light perhaps? Maybe...maybe not.

Still to come...

I have no idea what to make of the events that occurred that night. I honestly don't know. I don't particularly believe in the paranormal, but certainly, going on paranormal investigations is always very interesting, even if the results are hard to believe. If I'm ever in the area again I'll probably return to the hotel - but definitely not as an overnight guest! We could drive there in the dark just for shits, and have a drink in the bar and then leave. I should be able to get some more pics in, too. So be sure to look out for "Return to Waitomo" later on in the year!