Hair Raiser Tours

Hair Raiser Tours Established in 1999, Hair Raiser Tours is New Zealand’s original ghost tour experience. This is New Zealand's original, authentic ghost tour company.

Founded by Andrew Smith, it explores haunted heritage, true crime, and cemeteries through immersive tours and murder mystery events. We provide first class historical entertainment tours, murder mystery parties, gift vouchers & more.

📷Jack the ClickerToday we farewell a very special part of the Hair Raiser family — Hair Raiser Harry — who is about to s...
08/09/2026

📷Jack the Clicker
Today we farewell a very special part of the Hair Raiser family — Hair Raiser Harry — who is about to set off on his big overseas adventure.

For the past 18 years, Harry has been part of Hair Raiser Tours in one way or another. From appearing as a model in the dark alleyways and cemeteries, to becoming a familiar face at our Murder Mystery Parties, Harry has certainly seen his fair share of the darker side of Otago!

But his contribution has gone well beyond what our guests have seen. Over the years, he’s been a great helper behind the scenes, quietly pitching in and helping make things happen.

Eighteen years is a long time, and it’s fair to say that Harry has become part of the fabric of Hair Raiser Tours. So today we say farewell — at least for now — and wish him all the very best for the next chapter.

Have an amazing adventure, Harry. Travel well, stay safe, and remember… once a Hair Raiser, always a Hair Raiser!

A Victorian cemetery is more than a collection of graves. Look closely and you’ll find a language of symbols carved into...
08/09/2026

A Victorian cemetery is more than a collection of graves. Look closely and you’ll find a language of symbols carved into stone — each one telling a story about life, death, faith, grief and remembrance.
The Sheaf of Wheat
Wheat represents the cycle of life, death and resurrection. Like a crop reaching its harvest, it could symbolise a life that had reached its natural conclusion.
Flowers & Plants
Victorian funerary art was full of botanical symbolism. Lilies could represent purity and innocence, while ivy was associated with immortality and everlasting life. A broken flower or stem could suggest a life cut short.
The Child with Bowed Head
Images of children could represent innocence, mourning and the fragility of life. A bowed head often conveys grief and remembrance, particularly poignant when marking the death of a young child.
The Hand Holding an Anchor
The anchor was a powerful symbol of hope, steadfastness and faith — famously associated with the idea of hope being an anchor for the soul. A hand holding an anchor can suggest faith holding firm through grief, or a life securely anchored despite the storms of existence.
Wrought Iron
Even the ironwork surrounding a grave could have meaning. Elaborate gates and railings marked the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead, while also protecting and enclosing the final resting place.
Next time you walk through an old cemetery, don't just look at the names and dates.
Look at the symbols.
They may tell you something about the person buried there — and how those left behind wanted them to be remembered.

07/09/2026

The Golden Ghost — where gold, ghosts & history come together.
📷Jack the Clicker

For a number of years now, we’ve been proud to donate a tour package, alongside our friends at Catacombs, to the local C...
05/09/2026

For a number of years now, we’ve been proud to donate a tour package, alongside our friends at Catacombs, to the local Cancer Society Ball.
This year, I finally got the chance to make an appearance and see first-hand the incredible generosity of everyone bidding on the fantastic selection of goods and services donated by local businesses.
It was wonderful to see the community come together to support such an important cause. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed, donated, bid and helped make the evening such a success.
I look forward to welcoming the lucky winners on tour soon!

The last night of winter has passed, and with temperatures plummeting to almost zero, there was perhaps no more appropri...
01/09/2026

The last night of winter has passed, and with temperatures plummeting to almost zero, there was perhaps no more appropriate way to finish the season than with a Shiver Street Tour.
The tour has proved particularly popular with those who enjoy the darker side of Dunedin — where true crime, history and the paranormal meet.
To everyone who has joined me over the last month or so, a very special thank you. There really is no better way to experience the city of Dunedin than on foot. It’s a truly sensory experience — the cold night air, the old streets beneath your feet, the stories of those who came before, and perhaps the occasional unexplained encounter along the way.
I look forward to seeing you again throughout the spring and summer months, when the days grow longer and, somewhere in the distance, the lantern flickers once more.

31/08/2026

Murder Mystery season is upon us!
With only a handful of months to go before Christmas, now is the time to secure your booking before our Christmas dates fill up.
Whether it’s a work function, Christmas party, private celebration or simply an excuse to gather your friends for a night of mystery and murder, don’t leave it until the last minute.
So… will you be the ghost at this year’s party?

Dunedin’s First Cemetery 🪦The first burial took place on Arthur Street in 1846, and it is thought that more than 80 earl...
27/08/2026

Dunedin’s First Cemetery 🪦
The first burial took place on Arthur Street in 1846, and it is thought that more than 80 early settlers were laid to rest here.
Although, as it turned out… not for long.
As Dunedin’s population grew, the steep slopes and limited space made this a poor choice for a cemetery. General neglect soon turned the site into an embarrassing eyesore — hardly what the early settlers had envisaged for their improvement movement.
But the greatest concern wasn’t simply the lack of space.
Poor drainage raised serious health concerns, including the risk of contamination affecting neighbouring residents.
On 13 March 1858, the decision was made to close the cemetery.
What followed caused considerable debate and upset within the Dunedin community. Eventually, it was agreed that the cemetery would close permanently — and that the bodies buried there would be removed.
Imagine being told that the final resting place of someone you loved was about to be disturbed and moved elsewhere. It must have been an incredibly unsettling and traumatic experience.
This location today inspired my children’s book, I Am a Ghost: Keep an eye out for him… today, his former cemetery site is home to a children’s playground. 👻

The Old Port Chalmers Cemetery on a misty morning stroll. 📷 Jack the Clicker
21/08/2026

The Old Port Chalmers Cemetery on a misty morning stroll. 📷 Jack the Clicker

Address

First Floor 110 Moray Place
Dunedin
9016

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 10pm
Tuesday 9am - 10pm
Wednesday 9am - 10pm
Thursday 9am - 10pm
Friday 9am - 10pm
Saturday 9am - 10pm
Sunday 9am - 10pm

Telephone

+64800428683

Website

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