Real Life

Christchurch: city’s spirit lives on

Could Christchurch’s buildings be causing spooky goings-on?

Christchurch residents could be sensing more than aftershocks if they hear things that go bump in the night, according to a Christchurch based paranormal investigator.

Anton Heyrick, director of Christchurch Paranormal Investigators New Zealand (CPINZ), says there’s been a big jump in the number of people reporting supernatural activity in the region since its two big earthquakes – phenomena that has attracted the attention of worldwide media and Nigel Latta’s latest TV show.

“There was a 120% increase in emails and inquiries to our website about claims in Christchurch and the Canterbury region,” says Anton, who established the paranormal group two years ago. But Anton is cautious about attributing any increase to actual hauntings, saying he’s not a total believer himself.

“We’re not out to jump to conclusions. We stop and look at the scientific side where we can, and remain neutral on many occasions,” he explains. “We don’t run around telling everyone they have spirits and ghosts in their house.”

If there has been an increase in hauntings, then Anton explains one theory for this that relates to electromagnetic fields (EMF) in the region. “It’s believed that when a spirit starts showing itself, it releases a type of electromagnetic energy and we know the earthquakes generate a massive amount of this energy as well.  We are asking if this could be powering them or  giving them energy,” he says.

“On another level, we know that high levels of EMF in humans can make us hyper-sensitive – our skin will crawl, we will see things and hear things. Research into EMF has a long way to go.” Another belief is that the earthquakes and rebuilding in the city could be disturbing mysterious forces.

“They can wake up something that’s believed to be dormant. When the earthquakes happened in Christchurch, the buildings were smashed to bits,” Anton points out. The most scientific explanation is that residents’ nerves have been so shattered by the instability, that they’ve become spooked. “People have said, ‘Something’s changed in the house. The feeling is not right. We’re hearing things at night.’

“People are seeing things out of the corner of their eye. They’re hearing things all of sudden. Things are shifting, the temperature has turned cold.” Some of the claims have been as extreme as physical touching and altercations. One man says he was attacked by a ghost. “[He is] a man who is prominent in Christchurch who never thought he would need to contact us,” Anton says.

“It’s been a crazy time for the people of Christchurch and when the claims started happening, with the stress levels as high as they were, it didn’t surprise me. “And we had to take into consideration those stress levels – lives were turned upside down and we had to take a psychological stance and look at what was really going on,” he adds.

“Sometimes you felt like people were grasping at straws for it to be something other than their life breaking down.” The goings-on have also attracted media attention. Nigel’s visit related to looking into people’s fears and the belief in ghosts for his TV show, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Grown-Ups.

“We had a really exciting night with Nigel,” says Anton. “[He] is a very good psychologist and part of psychology is spirituality and how we deal with it.” The group has also hosted recent visits from the US-based TV crew from Ghost Hunters International and William Shatner’s Weird Or What?

Ghost Hunters International investigated incidents at Riccarton Racecourse and later visited the old Napier prison, which was built on an old Maori burial ground 150 years ago. “We investigated Napier Prison and that is claimed to be one of the most haunted locations in New Zealand.  It’s got amazing history.

It’s believed spirits can congregate in places where there‘s been pain and misery, and jails and asylums have the most residual energy. “After the Riccarton Racecourse investigation, everyone walked out with a personal experience. Ghost Hunters International captured an interesting photo – what we call a shadow – and electronic voice phenomena.

One of the team asked a possible entity, ‘Why are you so belligerent?’ The answer was, ‘I have no idea.’” Anton says there’s no way of proving the source of the unexplained voice on the recording and says the widespread damage to Christchurch’s historic buildings will make it even harder to find scientific evidence of the paranormal.

“The history and heritage that was within the destroyed and demolished buildings we’ve lost is a sad reality. We want to preserve as much as possible, in our own way.

“It is so hard for a paranormal investigation group to investigate our amazing history in the current environment, with such limited access to the few buildings we have left. However, we will carry on and be here for the rebuild of our city, and do our part in remembering the history lost.”

Related stories