Type Hotel Town or city Waitomo Construction started 1908 | Architectural style Victorian Country New Zealand | |
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Former names Waitomo House, Government Hostel at Waitomo | ||
Waitomo Caves Hotel (originally called Waitomo House and later Government Hostel at Waitomo) is a hotel located in Waitomo District, King Country above Waitomo Caves in New Zealand.
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Construction and development
The hotel was first built in 1908, and was renovated 20 years later in 1928 due to an increase in popularity. The building is famous for its unique style of New Zealand Victorian.
Hauntings
According to stuff.co.nz, Waitomo Caves Hotel is the fourth most haunted spot, and the most haunted hotel, in New Zealand. There have been claims of bathtubs dripping blood, orbs bouncing around the driveway and a Māori princess stalking the corridors. Some people have also reported experiencing the dining room going cold, laughter, the feeling of 'something' walking through them and the noise of a maid's trolley going along the long stretch of hall in the lower part of the hotel.
It has been reported by hotel staff and guests that a ghost likes to play tricks on them or that apparitions have been seen in the dining room, along with an uneasy feeling in the atmosphere. It has also been reported that some rooms have moving lights, objects and even screams.
In 2011, it was reported in the Waikato Times that a paranormal investigator for the 'Quantum Foundation' had a time slip experience – an alleged paranormal phenomenon in which a person, or group of people, travel through time via unknown means – at the Waitomo Caves Hotel.
In March 2012, a team of paranormal investigators from Haunted Auckland and Strange Occurrences performed an overnight investigation of the hotel, however their findings were inconclusive.
Television appearances
In late 2001, a television program called Hauntings screened on New Zealand's TV2 featuring an episode involving the Waitomo Caves Hotel. In 2006, Waitomo Caves Hotel was featured on an episode of Ghost Hunt, a New Zealand television show.