Last Night, Last Day

Last night was my final overnight stay in the Signalman's House, and I was taken out for a very pleasant dinner by Geoff Chapple and Miriam Beatson, the amazing forces behind Te Araroa, or the long pathway, a walking trail that will stretch the length of New Zealand. Geoff's book on the project won a Montana New Zealand Book Award in 2003. His other work includes the brilliant play Hatch (about a villainous penguin-killing former mayor of Invercargill, FYI). He's also the man who negotiated with Shania Twain.

Not so pleasant was the creepy story Geoff told me: allegedly, the Signalman's House was a brothel during the second World War, and in the early 40s a woman was murdered here by a GI. On July 10 every year, you can hear her screaming.

Unfortunately I am extremely suggestible and lay awake last night listening for creaks/ghosts/screams, though it's only June i.e. a little early for the scheduled haunting. Karren, the administrator here, told me this morning that the house wasn't a brothel during the war: the last signalman's widow lived here until the late 60s. And she was a very respectable widow. There's a bunker up at the summit currently used by a folk-dancing society - that place has brothel written all over it.

Here are some pictures taken on my final morning here - the house, taken from the road up to the summit of Mt Victoria, and then some of the spectacular views of the city, Rangitoto and North Head from the summit. Also, some strange things that have been painted to look like fairy toadstools.

Comments

[Brando]

Oh yeah, I would have been up all night with holy water and a rosary.

Awesome pictures. And your interview was very entertaining, although it was odd that you were asked complete, revelent questions and not queries that just sort of trailed off....