What happened
The architect Robert Lawson began designing the Seacliff Lunatic Asylum, north of Dunedin, in 1874. It opened in 1884 although the main building was unfinished, and part of the work was done by the patients themselves; it was then the largest building in New Zealand, meant for 500 patients. As early as 1887 a landslip exposed faults in its construction. From 1889 the asylum was run by Frederic Truby King, who introduced better diets, fresh air and garden work but was also a supporter of eugenics. In 1945 the writer Janet Frame was admitted, wrongly diagnosed with schizophrenia. The darkest night came on 8 December 1942: fire broke out in the wooden Ward 5, and with its doors and windows locked, 37 of the 39 women inside died. The hospital closed in 1973, most of the buildings were demolished and the grounds became a dense forest, nicknamed the ‘enchanted forest’. For years urban explorers have spoken of the ghosts of former patients and of the reserve's ‘strange vibe’.
Witnesses
Urban explorers and tour operators, among them Andrew Smith, who speaks of the place's ‘strange vibe’.
Explanations and hypotheses
Seacliff's history, including the 1942 fire, is well documented: the coroner could not determine the cause, and a commission of inquiry blamed the building's design and the practice of locking patients in without night supervision. The ghost stories have no specific content or confirmation – they are more an echo of a real tragedy and of the grim reputation of old asylums. Dunedin is considering a memorial to the fire's victims and better interpretation of the site's history within the reserve.
Legend A story handed down through generations – it can be neither confirmed nor disproved.
Sources
- NZHistory – Fire at Seacliff Mental Hospital kills 37
- The Spinoff – Louise Fisher, The story of Seacliff, the most haunted place in New Zealand (2021)
- Heritage New Zealand – Seacliff Lunatic Asylum Site
More: Wikipedia (en)