Book description
Investigating haunted buildings with New Zealand's very own ghost
hunters. Are the dead really all around us, treading the boards of
theatres, pacing the corridors of prisons, or terrifying the occupants
of scary old houses? Or are ghosts just in the mind of those who think
they've seen them? What is ectoplasm? And can you really photograph a
ghost? Join New Zealand paranormal investigators Strange Occurrences as
they search for the truth behind the dark stories of some of the
country's most infamous haunted sites, as well as some of its lesser
known ones. In their quest for clues about the nature of ghosts, the
team has travelled the length and breadth of New Zealand to meet
mediums, psychics, fellow paranormal investigators, a skeptic or two, a
real live parapsychologist, a 'hair raiser', the long-time usher of a
haunted theatre, the owners of New Zealand's most haunted pub, and
perhaps even a ghost or two. They also tell you about the history of
paranormal research, from its origins in the séance rooms of Victorian
England to the TV shows of today, and show you how to unravel the
mysteries of orbs and other photographic oddities. In Spooked, you'll
encounter a range of beliefs, theories, a bit of history, accounts of
actual paranormal investigations, creepy stories of ghostly encounters,
and some pretty heavy science stuff that might just make the hinges of
your brain creak apart. As for the truth about spooks? Well, that's for
you to decide ... James Gilberd is a founding member and the leader of
Strange Occurrences, which first formed in 2005. His day job is a
photographer and he runs the Photospace Gallery in Wellington. Jo Davy
has a marine ecology degree and an MA in creative writing from Victoria
University. Her interest in the paranormal is more than academic despite
describing herself as 'psychically sensitive as a brick'. The Strange
Occurrences crew consists of eight members, all of whom have had
experiences that they've been unable to attribute to normal or natural
causes.
