on Edge TV was challenged to visit the notoriously haunted Spookers Haunted Attraction at the former Kingseat Psychiatric Hospital. The pair have since divorced, but bothfound the hospital to be progressive, with staff members who cared deeply for their patients' wellbeing. One of the rooms they used for storage used to have ice baths. Details of patient histories were kept secret due to Privacy Act requirements. What was Kingseat Hospital used for? Random photo 2018 gallery, Spookers visit with Steph from Smash! [7] Flower gardens, shrubs and trees were grown in the grounds of Kingseat Hospital such as surplus plants from the Ellerslie Racecourse and Norfolk Island pines originally seeds from Sir George Grey's garden on Kawau Island. However, we still need more evidence to make a call as big as whether or not the location is actually haunted,' Wallbank said. Thanks for sharing with us. Mr Robertson asked whether any of the patients had been forensic patients as detailed under the Mental Health Act, and whether any of the patients had convictions of rape and other violent crimes. Skip to main content. Bellevue Hospital Center - 462 First Avenue. The Haunted Auckland team did an initial 'walk through' of the property, before conducting the overnight investigations, bringing along a host of equipment used to detect ghostly presences and physical energies. Ithink it's evil,actually, andpeopleshouldstopmakingfun of mental illness. Mark Wallbank, the operator of Haunted Auckland, conducted three separate paranormal investigations on the property last year at the request of the new owners. I hate the nursing staff for not telling us younger people so we could decide for ourselves to be exposed to some of the crap these inmates said to us. [28] Spookers were finalists of the year's Tourism Industry Awards. Datum OSGB36 - NGR. In 1996, South Auckland Health sold Kingseat Hospital after government decisions to replace ongoing hospitalisation of mentally ill patients with community care and rehabilitation units. In 1996, South Auckland Health sold Kingseat Hospital after government decisions to replace ongoing hospitalisation of mentally ill patients with community care and rehabilitation units. Although patients, once considered forensic patients but having had their classification eased into a more rehabilitative category, will be able to be housed at the Bairds Road unit. Some rooms I entered had an instantly noticeable icy cold chill in them, whilst the one next to it was warm and felt normal. In 2011, ideas were proposed to grow the area in the Kingseat suburb tenfold for the areas equine industry. While the building is now derelict, with walls still bearing old scratch marks and new graffiti, it reportedly once held over 800 patients, who were treated for illnesses and addictions within the grounds. I cried looking at the elderly dement people being held here, their only crime was not being of sound mind and having no living relations.. One of my worst teenage memories working in a prehistoric mental hospital 16 April 2012. Canmore ID 110736. Kingseat operated from 1932 to 1999 when it was closed as part of New Zealands reform of its mental health system. Following a meeting Mark had with Beth, one of the managers of Spookers, the two were shown the entire building from level to level, section to section to plan ahead for the upcoming investigations. In doing so, the documentary prompts a question itavoids answering:is it appropriateto use a former psychiatric hospital building as a haunted house? [9] The hospital grew throughout the mid-late 1930s and 1940s to such an extent that by the beginning of 1947, there were over eight hundred patients. Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) - 535 East 70th Street. Now 60, she works for theAuckland District Health Board and the University of Auckland, in roles where she advocates for those with mental illness. In 1973, a therapeutic pool was opened by the then-Mayoress of Auckland, Mrs. Barbara Goodman, four years before the main swimming pool was added to the hospital in 1977. People are definitely experiencing something there. The team at Haunted Auckland are not the first to discover the checkered history of the hospital, and new evidence prompted local police to re-open a 36-year-old cold case in 2004 into the death of an 11-year-old boy at the hospital. "Spookers can't change what happened here. After the closure of Kingseat Hospital in 1999, the grounds were initially considered as a potential site for a new prison, able to accommodate for six hundred inmates. Hotels with Ghosts in NZ - Best Bits Kingseat Hospital was in operation from 1932. It was about the size of a football and was floating about a meter or so off the ground,' he wrote. In 2000, legal action was taken against the Tainui tribe for financial issues involving the former hospital. Most buildings have been converted. Firefighters battled a blaze in a building that used to be an isolation ward in the old Kingseat psychiatric hospital, southwest of Papakura, on Saturday morning. Matthew Of course the building is decorated as a Haunted attraction, so dark, with props and fake cobwebs etc. In the early 1960s, John and Anne Hall worked as psychiatrists at Kingseat, and lived on the grounds with their two young children. In 1973, a Therapeutic pool was opened by the then-Mayoress of Auckland, Barbara Goodman, four years before the main swimming pool was added to the hospital in 1977. In 1973, a Therapeutic pool was opened by the then-Mayoress of Auckland, Barbara Goodman, four years before the main swimming pool was added to the hospital in 1977. That place was creepy af. Former patients from hospitals in the area, including Kingseat, were hit with claims of grave abuse and neglect. [7], Kingseat Hospital was in operation from 1932. [22] In the following two years, Haunted Auckland conducted a further ten research visits within various buildings at Kingseat; including the notorious Maximum Security Wing. In 2005 the old hospital once again had a lease of life and became Spookers a haunted attraction in the former nurses home and in 2011 opened a maize maze on the hospital grounds. However the developer was accused of failing to preserve the historic hospital buildings and construct a childrens play park. After the closure of Kingseat Hospital in 1999, the grounds were initially considered as a potential site for a new prison, able to accommodate for six hundred inmates. Thanks for posting up this history, its really interesting to know more about the buildings we are working in and there (dark) history. Haunted Auckland makes their third visit to the Kingseat Psychiatric Hospital Maximum Security buildings for an overnight investigation. In 1968, certain nurses at Kingseat Hospital went on strike, which forced the administration to invite unemployed people and volunteers to assist within the hospital grounds with domestic chores. Debra Lampshire, photographed at the grounds of the former Kingseat Hospital, where she lived for 18 years. Lindsay told The New Zealand Herald his friend died like a dog. Everything if your name is Steve Hitler. 'I first heard about Kingseat in the 80's. 05:01 EST 09 May 2015 'At one point it was hovering around Kels [another team member] head for a couple of minutes, before moving offAs I was measuring the field around Kel, I could feel an icy cold patch all around my hand holding the EMF meter,' he said. The idea is to bring mentally ill patients out from institutionalised care and place them within communities and closer to their families. Now another firm ZTK, which is understood to already own the former administration block, has purchased the remaining buildings. We were told that more nurses died at Kingseat than patients. When I read that the place had closed down, about 20 something years ago, I started visiting. Your email address will not be published. This involved propositions of re-zoning to residential a majority of the land around Kingseat Hospital although certain buildings, structures and plant life on the former hospital site were protected due to historic and cultural value. [11] In later years, the hospital accepted voluntary patients. Wallbank said that while some people may not believe in or understand paranormal phenomena 'the majority haven't spent any time out in the field looking, and experiencing first hand.'. [31], An obstacle race involving zombie attacks and known as "Run for your Freak'n Life" was held by Spookers on 15 April 2012, in a "Fun Run" in celebration of being open for 6 years, 6 months, and 6 days on that date. Please respect the locations and the owners. [8] In 1939, the Public Works Department and Fletcher Construction Company, Ltd. agreed on the construction of a two-storey nurses home at Kingseat Hospital, with the government to provide the steel for the building. In 2011, ideas were proposed to grow the area in the Kingseat suburb tenfold for the areas equine industry. Watson believes very few of the 80,000-90,000 people who visit Spookerseach year know about the building's former life, and the companyavoids mentioningit in promotional materialbeyond sayingit's "based in the former Kingseat Pshyciatric[sic] Hospital in Kingseat". In 2005, the haunted attraction Spookers opened in the area of the former hospital in the former nurse hostel. According to stuff.co.nz, Kingseat Hospital is the number one haunted spot in New Zealand. Today, people claim it is one of the most haunted places in New Zealand. Kingseat Hospital is located just south of Auckland (New Zealand) at Karaka and is a former psychiatric hospital that is considered to be one of New Zealands notorious haunted locations with over one hundred claims of apparitions being reported. [16] As of 2007[update], the most common apparition reportedly seen at Kingseat Hospital was the "Grey Nurse", believed to be a former staff member, in and around the former nurses' home. I knew at the time his back was broken.. Kingseat Hospital, in Newmachar, was closed in 1999 before being taken over by Avant Homes which subsequently built 300 houses at the site. "Ithink it's really demeaning. If residents require more serious health treatments the closest hospital is the Victoria in Kirkcaldy. Spookers were finalists of the years Tourism Industry Awards. The goal of the Bairds Road unit is to rehabilitate the patients and eventually to allow them to again live within the community. Kingseat Hospital (New Zealand) Kingseat Hospital was a psychiatric hospital that is considered to be one of New Zealand's notorious haunted locations with over one hundred claims of apparitions being reported, as of 2011. The eating halls looked like a disaster swept through after each feeding.. 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' will be back for its sixth season at its home on SBS VICELAND. Kingseat Psychiatric Hospital in Auckland is claimed to be New Zealand's most haunted site with over 100 ghost sightings reported While the building is now derelict, with walls still bearing. 'Clem hit the floor with a hell of a thud. Temporary furnished housing near NYC hospitals. Avant Homes confirmed ownership would be transferred at the end of November. [21] That same year, Haunted Auckland conducted a paranormal investigation at the site. 'There was never enough hands to help the extremely handicapped eat, no medications to avoid being scratched or attacked nurses or kitchen or laundry staff a like-if having to go past the residents to clean up or stop them attacking each other,' the diary read. How The Bridge kick-started a global phenomenon The brains ability to perceive space expands like the Universe, The finds testify to the existence of a high-tech civilization of the past, Another Giant Humanoid is filmed on a hill in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Strange story of the Chronovisor that took a photo of Jesus Christ, Illinois 8652 W. 95th Street, Hickory Hills, IL 60457-1700, Most Disturbing Medical Stories From Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics, Haunted Key West Hotels To Stay in or Avoid, The Sad Story Of Johnny Morehouse and His Dog, Haunting of the Hounds of Colebrook Furnace. One room would have a whole different feeling to the one right next to it. Do not cause damage or steal from locations. It is currently the site of residential villas, created from former patient housing, the Spookers attraction, located in the former Nurses Hostel as well as several large disused and vacant hospital buildings. Who's that guy? [6][38] In Australia, the documentary Spookers aired on SBS Viceland and SBS on Demand. What is the biggest hospital in New Zealand? This led to the eventual closure of Kingseat Hospital in July 1999, when the final patients were re-located off the complex to a mental health unit in Otara. The site celebrated its 50th anniversary jubilee in 1982. Get a case of the willies with Spookers, streaming at SBS On Demand: More at SBS: As of 2007, the most common apparition reportedly seen at Kingseat Hospital was the Grey Nurse, believed to be a former staff member, in and around the former nurses home. I can confirm this, My family and I lived here before it closed, I have tonnes of paranormal stories from living there. Wikid ! In 1996, South Auckland Health sold Kingseat Hospital after government decisions to replace ongoing hospitalisation of mentally ill patients with community care and rehabilitation units. Aberdeen Journals Ltd 2023. living at kingseat hospital. 'This disappeared as the field moved away from Kel. Take a photographic journey with us through some of the many wards and buildings that make up the Kingseat Psychiatric Hospital. Kingseat Hospital is a former psychiatric hospital that is considered to be one of New Zealands most notoriously haunted locations with over one hundred claims of apparitions being reported, as of 2011. Until such an investigation takes place we just have to take the words of those who made the TV show and of those who once worked and lived behind the wall and razor wire that is Kingseat hospital. How they treated the elderly and mentally handicapped people back then was horrible.. Classification Hospital (Period Unassigned) Alternative Name (s) District Asylum For Aberdeen. Daily updates on UFO sightings, ghost encounters, conspiracies, mysterious phenomena and everything crazy and weird. Kingseat Hospital is a former psychiatric hospital located in Karaka, south of Auckland. Some of the criminally insane people did really bad stuff but how they were treated was worse. ', The comments below have not been moderated, By [26] Spookers hold annual O'Scares Awards at the old Kingseat Hospital. Do not cause damage or steal from locations. Alok Wanchoo is listed with Companies House as the sole director of ZTK, with the firm registered to an address in Manchester. The most haunting testimony in Spookers, Florian Habicht's recent documentary about the south Auckland. 'Every time we went to see him he was covered in bruises,' John Mitchell, Bruce's brother, told the New Zealand Herald. If the building's past lends horror to the Spookersexperience, "it's absolutely secondary" to the cast's performance, she says. What began with the discovery of a body on a bridge quickly became a worldwide obsession. In separate incidents, Bruce Mitchell and Kelly Haydn Collins allegedly wandered out of the hospital and were presumed dead by drowning in nearby Manukau Harbour, reports The New Zealand Herald. [25], In 2019, it was announced that Spookers would host a Halloween event called "Seven Deadly Sins". The NEON YELLOW PRESERVATION SOCIETY is a fictional society. Neil Drysdale: What's the best alternative anthem if Flower of Scotland needs replacing? My cousin got a weird feeling in the baby room in the haunted house and so did i in the first baby room were they were hospitalized. The New Zealand Heraldreported that former patient Stephen Lindsay had been traumatised by what he saw at the hospital. The site of the former Kingseat Hospital in 2008, nine years after closure. if there are ghosts it would not shock me, when people where really sentenced to life behind a mental hospital door people did die here. [39], In 2018, Spookers was put up for sale. But some residents insisted that the complex represented a sad past and shouldn't be highlighted as heritage. The site celebrated its 50th anniversary jubilee in 1982. and our I have been pressuring the council to use whatever powers it has to that end.. Most were aged between eight and 16 at the time of the alleged abuse, and claimed to have been subject to sexual and physical abuse, as well aselectro-convulsive therapy (ECT, or 'shock treatment'). Structurally it reminded me of some of the buildings at the old Waipukurau Hospital. its beautiful ! It was horrible living in the nurses home, it was horrible working in the huge main kitchen and it was worse working in the separate units. The nurse then kicked him hard in his back and I heard something snap,' Mr Matthews claimed. Climbing in, she sensed something terrible had happened. Kingseat re-visit. In 2013, a property developer revealed a plan to transform the site of the hospital into a countryside living estate with four hundred and fifty homes. "If it's really aimed at thinking about psychiatric patients as crazy peoplewhomight murder you at any minute, Iwould not be very pleased about that, to say the least," says Anne. Carrie Zeiler, a member of the Kingseat Community Association, said: As far as we understand the company that is buying it own the administration block here and nothing has happened with that for years, so to be honest, we dont hold out much hope for anything changing.. [5], The psychiatric hospital was built in Karaka from 1929. Some received official apologies. Spookers performer Huia Apiata causes havoc as a zombie clown, with Kingseat Hospital in the background (SBS VICELAND). 'We could use the hours between meals to just clean up the dining rooms.. This involved propositions of rezoning to residential a majority of the land around Kingseat Hospital although certain buildings, structures and plant life on the former hospital site were protected due to historic and cultural value. And at the Kingseat villas, theres been some serious poltergeist activity with reports of shaking cupboard doors, tapping on windows, self-operating toilets and taps, and moving furniture. Mr Lindsay saw a nurse hit the boy after he stole a piece of bread while in line for dinner. Website Admin for Haunted Auckland. And during a visit to a former nurses house, another team member claimed to feel dizzy and nauseous when she touched a bathtub. Spookers is believed to be Australasia's only haunted attraction scream park as of 2011[update],[3] and "the number 1 Haunted Attraction in the Southern Hemisphere". In 2005, a television episode of Ghost Hunt featured the site of the former hospital. as an actor lols, Juan Moritz and Discovery of Atlantean Dungeons. [36] In May 2014, Spookers made plans to open in Queensland, Australia. The hospital closed its doors in 1999 . Footage shows the paranormal investigators of Haunted Auckland supposedly communing with a ghost named Alexis Jackson, a nurse who continues to look after patients at the hospital. By 2004, more than two-hundred people had come forward to file complaints against the national government for claims of mistreatment and abuse of patients at New Zealands psychiatric institutions (including Kingseat Hospital) during the 1960s and 1970s. I cried with relief to learn this hospital has closed. 19:55 EST 31 Jan 2016. An aerial photograph from 1990 shows the extent of Tokanui Hospital, near Te Awamutu, which by the 1960s was one of the largest psychiatric institutions in New Zealand. Everything if your name is Steve Hitler Kingseat Hospital was named after a hospital in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, following the Director-General of the Mental Health Division of the Health Department (Dr. George Gray) upon returning from an overseas trip and he felt it appropriate to have a sister hospital with the same name in New Zealand. It has the reputation of being one of themost haunted locations in New Zealand. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Unless the address is already mentioned in the article, we do not disclose addresses or locations of abandoned or derelict buildings. All Rights Reserved. "Spookers wasn't here when there were any patients here," she says. Kingseat Hospital opened in 1932 and was operational until 1999, when it was shut down during a sweeping reform of New Zealand's public mental health system. It was claimed by Spookers to be the first ever complaint regarding advertising in its seven years of production. [34] In 2013, Spookers was named as one of "10 Awesome Auckland Attractions". The alarm was raised at 3.50am. NGR Description Centred NJ 90398 19105. It was like a branch breaking. It was operational from around 1930 to 1999 when it finally closed its doors and the location was proposed as a site for a new prison that would hold 600 people but that did not go ahead. Mr Ford said: Regardless of ownership the imperative is to get the development completed, including the provision of a childrens play park, as soon as possible. But some residents insisted that the complex represented a sad past and shouldnt be highlighted as heritage. The plan sparked debate over which buildings and their park-like surroundings should stay as a reminder of its past, with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust requesting better protection of heritage values of buildings and plants. ", READ MORE *Through the maze: Our mental health journey *Spookers: More than cheap, twisted thrills *SpookersdirectorFlorianHabichton fear and family. There was never enough hands to help the extremely handicapped eat, no medications to avoid being scratched or attacked nurses or kitchen or laundry staff a like-if having to go past the residents to clean up or stop them attacking each other. "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints". The paranormal investigator said that he understands people being skeptical of the notion of the paranormal, and that 'we are all a bit sceptical at times, ourselves. Privacy Policy. Interestingly, its the nursing arena that seems to have provided fertile ground for ghost hunting at Kingseat. The construction of Kingseat Hospital began in 1929 when twenty patients from a nearby mental institution came to the site along with twelve wheelbarrows and ten shovels. [24], Spookers is reportedly New Zealand's largest operator in haunted horror entertainment. Kingseat Hospital, in Newmachar, was closed in 1999 before being taken over by Avant Homes which subsequently built 300 . Police claimed to have found footprints leading in to the water in the case of Mitchell, and the only evidence found of Collins was a shoe in a paddock. Staff suicide being common on the grounds, due to the high stress levels caused in working in such a physically and emotionally draining working environment. Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat - 210 East 64th Street. For the time being, former residential quarters have been turned into villas which are rented by members of the local community. It opened in 1912 with a few patients transferred from Porirua Hospital near Wellington, and closed in 1997. Who owns Kingseat Hospital? Since the hospitals closure more than 200 people have come forward to file complaints against the government, claiming they were mistreated in New Zealands psychiatric institutions during the 1960s and 1970s including patients at Kingseat Hospital. This involved propositions of rezoning to residential a majority of the land around Kingseat Hospital although certain buildings, structures and plant life on the former hospital site were protected due to historic and cultural value. In 2009, the owning company of the former hospital claimed it would proceed with plans to disconnect the water supply of residents within the local region, leaving many to either pay large fees for a different supply or to install new water tanks. Many of the complainants, who at the time of the incidents were aged between 8 and 16 years old, said that they were heavily over-medicated, unwillingly subjected to electro-shock treatment, and placed in isolation for long periods of time sometimes for months. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The last patients held in the former mental institution will be moved off the rural complex and transported to a newly refurbished secure mental health unit on Bairds Road in Otara. Some rooms had a heaviness that was instantly noticeable on entering. 'The EMF meter suddenly went off. Categories: Antidepressant prescribing Narrative medicine NHS Hospitality Registers Pharmaceutical industry and Medical Education Philosophy Psychiatry Stigma suicide Tags: #pillshaming 'Highly validating' 103 Holburn Street 108 Osborne Place 124 Osborne Place 147 Cheetham Hill Road . The hospital grew throughout the mid-late 1930s and 1940s to such an extent that by the beginning of 1947, there were over eight hundred patients. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Ref Watch: Was VAR operational for Ryan Kent's 'punch' on Aberdeen's Liam Scales - and why wasn't ref Nick Walsh sent to monitor if it was? Archival footage in Spookers shows a doctor administering medicine to young men at Kingseat Hospital Source: SBS VICELAND. Please do not ask. Sometimes we see them, but they dont bother us at all, its all good,' the team were told. "Ifelt Iwas left in that place to rot and die." The air felt heavy and thick to walk through. His case was reopened by police in 2004, 36 years after his death, after fellow patient and friend Stephen Lindsay came forward as a witness. Inside Kingseat Hospitals maximum security wing, stained floors and scratched walls are remnants of real horror Source: Haunted Auckland / YouTube. Two investigations to round off the year. Here's what we know about 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' returning. But thanks for making this a wicked experience, one of the best through out my teenage years:D. Thanks for your comment! It is said that one of the reasons that no real paranormal investigations take place is due to the court cases of mistreatment going through the courts, that along with the sale of the place, the new owner did not want the idea the place was haunted to get out there. The old Kingseat psychiatric hospital is bulging at the seams. [33] In October 2012, Spookers (which is open every Friday and Saturday night in addition to each Halloween), offered a bus to accommodate visitor transport for the occasion.