Old Pahiatua Hospital (Masters Hall) - Full Report
- Barbara Caisley
- Oct 15
- 7 min read
Pahiatua Hospital/Masters Hall – Historical and Paranormal Overview
Masters Hall, formerly the Pahiatua Hospital, is situated on a ten-acre property steeped in history, atmosphere, and local legend. Much of the building’s original hospital layout remains intact, though it has been adapted to serve as accommodation and a conference facility. Many rooms still display original features, including stainless steel benches, hospital-style storage units, call buttons, and large observation windows along the corridors. The former operating theatres, recovery areas, and morgue have been relocated several times during the hospital’s operation but remain part of the complex. The long, wide hallways and numerous side rooms create an almost labyrinth that contributes to the building’s distinct character.
Originally constructed in 1902, the hospital expanded in 1940 with additional wards built and again in 1960 with the completion of Ward 1. Today the total floor area is approximately 2,330 square meters. The hospital closed in June 1998, after which the site was sold into private ownership and soon reopened as Masters Hall.
Over the years, several unusual stories and alleged paranormal events have become associated with the location. Anecdotes include reports of a matron conducting her rounds accompanied by a bulldog and a rumor involving a nun who was said to have secretly buried illegitimate infants on the grounds. Accounts of paranormal activity range from sensations of being watched, whispers and footsteps in empty rooms, and unexplained touches, to more intense experiences including claims of people being physically restrained and pushed by an unseen force. Witnesses have also described sightings of an elderly woman in a floral dress drifting along the corridors and others have reported sounds of children laughing while no one was present. Locals have reported mysterious lights appearing in unused sections of the building, with some suggesting the site may be near an urupā (burial ground) or a place of historic conflict.
Our investigation group also experienced several unusual occurrences during our time at the old hospital, and these are noted as part of the below report.
Collaborative Paranormal Investigation Report Location: Masters Hall, Pahiatua (formerly Pahiatua Hospital)Date: 26 and 27 July 2025
Teams Involved:
The Quantum Foundation
Paranormal Researchers NZ
Central Hawke’s Bay Paranormal Society (CHB Paranormal)
Natasha Kristoffersen-Tuck (Independent Paranormal Investigator)
Introduction
The Quantum Foundation invited several teams to participate in a collaborative paranormal investigation of the former Pahiatua Hospital, now known as Masters Hall. The aim was to explore reports of paranormal phenomena and document any unexplained occurrences within the historic complex.
Arrival and Setup
The Paranormal Researchers team (Barbara and Ian), accompanied by Natasha, undertook the nine-hour road trip to Pahiatua, making several brief stops at other sites of interest en route. They arrived at Masters Hall at dusk, where the other investigation teams were already on-site, and had already completed their room selections and an initial walkthrough of the building.
All investigators were accommodated in Ward 1, the smallest ward in the complex which consisted of approximately nine rooms, a small bathroom block, a small kitchen, and a lounge area. Heating had been turned on in this section of the building however the rest of the complex was not heated and was extremely cold, with temperatures dropping to -2°C overnight. After settling in and establishing a base in the large dining area of a nearby ward, the group went out for dinner at a nearby restaurant before commencing the night’s investigation.
Night One Investigation
Following dinner, the investigation began with The Quantum Foundation team conducting a live stream for their followers, the CHB Paranormal team exploring the morgue area and Paranormal Researchers NZ and Natasha focusing on the operating theatre/recovery room.
Throughout the evening, investigators moved around the building in their teams. conducting communication sessions, encouraging any spirits present to make themselves known and carefully observing key areas. Static video cameras and voice recorders were positioned strategically throughout the building and investigators used still, ultra-violet, infra-red and standard video cameras as they investigated in the wards, corridors and other rooms around the building. Baseline EMF and temperature readings were noted and monitored throughout the evening. Environmental conditions were continuously recorded and monitored. There was some unusual EMF spikes recorded and noted.
The Paranormal Researchers team attempted remote communications, during which pre-recorded questions were played to invite interaction from any possible entities, while an audio recorder and video camera were left in the area to record any responses while there were no people present. Tripwire EMF lights were trialed for the first time by the team; however, they exhibited irregular functioning, which at the time we put down to them potentially malfunctioning.
The investigations continued until the early morning hours before concluding due to fatigue coupled with the extreme cold in the building that night. Although Ian had had a room assigned to him he opted to sleep in the unheated operating theatre/recovery area to monitor for overnight activity, while others returned to their rooms in the (heated) Ward 1.
Day Two – Exploration and Review
After warming up over coffee and breakfast the Paranormal Researchers team and Natasha conducted a daylight exploration of the wider complex. (The other investigators had done this the day before when they had arrived, however we did not get there in daylight so needed to inspect and familiarize ourselves with the building and complex. Areas examined included:
All Wards
The morgue
The overgrown hospital incinerator
The nurse’s quarters
The underground maintenance tunnel
Outdoors and Exterior of the buildings
These locations were photographed and filmed for documentation. On revisiting areas of EMF activity from the night before, investigators identified possible natural causes, including underground power cables and nearby electrical equipment, which could have contributed to some readings. These findings allowed the team to debunk several anomalies from the previous night, though some unexplained occurrences remained.
As the day progressed, several participants departed, leaving Barbara and Ian (Paranormal Researchers), Tracey and Lois (Quantum Foundation), and Natasha to continue.
Evening Two Investigation
While Quantum Foundation reviewed audio evidence from the previous night, the remaining investigators focused on the nurse’s quarters, conducting EVP sessions and using auditory cues to provoke responses. Equipment and trigger objects were also placed strategically to monitor key areas during the teams absence from that area. Remote communication sessions were also set up and left running with video and recorders to monitor them.
After a dinner break, the Paranormal Researchers team conducted a live feed for their online followers, showcasing the building and allowing remote viewers to observe the operating theatre and recovery area where EMF tripwires were positioned.
Later investigations revisited the nurse’s quarters and other areas of prior interest to attempt to replicate activity from the previous evening. Due to freezing conditions, the night concluded shortly after midnight.
Day Three – Departure
The final morning was spent packing up and conducting a final walkthrough for photo and video documentation. Ian captured drone footage of the entire site for aerial reference. Once packing and equipment checks were complete, the teams said their farewells and began the long journey home.
Summary
The collaborative investigation at Masters Hall provided valuable opportunities for cross-team cooperation, site documentation, and data collection. While some anomalies were successfully explained through environmental factors such as electrical interference, several occurrences remain unexplained. The location’s history, atmosphere, and structural complexity make it a compelling site for future paranormal research.
Unexplained Occurrences and Observations
Over the course of the investigation, several notable occurrences were documented by team members and equipment:
Electronic Disturbances:
Unexplained static interference was recorded in two separate locations on both a GoPro video camera and a audio recorder— initially in the small kitchen on Barbara’s GoPro camera, and the following day in the nurses’ quarters where Natasha captured similar static on her audio recorder. https://drive.google.com/file/d/12WJFhGwUg2TBsOovPZKlVqIej-ms8tRW/view?usp=sharing
Unexplained Object Appearance:
Upon waking on Saturday the morning, Barbara discovered an empty lolly bag placed on the shelf beside her bed. This item had not been there when she went to sleep the previous night and she had locked the door as she retired for the night. The bag was right beside and just under the clothes Barbara had taken off , folded and placed on the shelf beside her bed. She did check that the door locked properly when she discovered this packet and found that if the door did not fully close there would have been a significant crack of light visible and she is adamant that the room had been in full darkness when she got into bed for the night. (See pic)
Auditory Phenomena:
A distinct whistle was heard emanating from the operating theatre/recovery room area. Barbara and Ian heard it within a few seconds of each other but neither heard the whistle that the other had heard.
Unusual Activity in Bathroom Area:
Several investigators reported hearing unexplained sounds coming from an otherwise empty bathroom cubicle. While inside, some described an uneasy or “creeped out” sensation. Additionally, the Quantum Foundations canine companion displayed unusual behavior in the same area.
Visual Anomalies:
A “mist-like” formation was witnessed by two Quantum Foundation investigators while investigation a hallway. Early the following morning, Barbara encountered a similar grey mist at the opposite end of the corridor. She was carrying a cup of coffee and was looking down at it as she walked around a corner in the hallway. As she rounded the corner she looked up just in time to see she was about to step into a grey mist. The mist immediately disappeared as she stepped into it.
Possible Apparition Sighting:
Natasha observed the figure of a person walking past in the hallway outside the team base as she was exiting the room. The hallway was dark as was the figure and she assumed it was one of the members of another team heading for the meeting lounge. The figure rounded the corner ahead of Natasha and she carried on towards the lounge assuming that the ‘person’ was going to get to the lounge a few seconds before her. However, when she got to the lounge, she discovered that all team members had been there for a while and that none had arrived shortly before her. It was then, as Natasha wondered about an explanation for what she had seen that she realized that the figure she had seen had not made any noise at all and that it was unusual as the floors in the corridors were hard and footsteps could be easily heard as we moved around the building.
Summary
While the Paranormal Researchers teams make no claim that any of these occurrences were paranormal, we find them interesting as although we did attempt to debunk them at the time we were not able to come up with satisfactory explanations. We feel that more investigation time in needed at the old hospital to attempt to recreate some of the activity and to delve further to attempt in finding rational explanations.
We thank The Quantum Foundation for inviting Paranormal Researchers NZ to be part of this collaborative investigation. It is an honour to be invited to join with other teams and to work with a variety of investigators. We very much enjoyed meeting with like-minded teams and working with everyone involved.
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