Blog4NZ – Heavy Metal travel in Auckland

A team of NZ travel bloggers, wanting to help Christchurch and the rest of NZ recover from the earthquake, have declared March 21-23 Blog4NZ – where bloggers post 72 hours of articles on traveling in New Zealand. “It’s going to take a lot of love and a lot of cash to rebuild the city,” the organisers say. “Tourism makes up approximately 10% of New Zealand’s GDP, and it is essential for the world to know that New Zealand is open for business, and that it doesn’t look like a war zone.

And yes, even though I spend huge chunks of time and cash escaping this place, I love New Zealand, and I think you will to. So Steff Metal is celebrating the best of New Zealand this week with some travel posts … heavy metal stype.

If you’ve visited cities the world over, at first glance, Auckland seems like all the rest – it’s a miniature Sydney, a less-cultured London, a slightly sunnier Seatle. It’s nothing special – certainly not when compared to other parts of the country. But our largest city – home to around 1/3 of our population, has it’s own thriving underground of dark delicacies, metal maniacs and gothic gems. And I’d like to share a few with you.

Spookers

Spookers, located in the nurses quarters of Kingseat Hospital grounds, is probably the must-see attraction for anyone who loves blood, gore, horror films and having the crap scared out of them. It’s located way outside of the city, in the countryside to the South, on the grounds of an old mental hospital. The location itself is spooky enough (go during the day, wander around the grounds and take photos. It’s amazing) but at night it comes alive with the screams of the innocent. Wander through the house and have unsavory things follow you, visit the freaky forest or haunted corn maze and get chased by a chainsaw-weilding maniac, or visit their new Claustrophobia room – a pitch-black maze of pressing spaces and hands reaching for you from nowhere – which frightens even the most stalwort of horror enthusiasts.

The owner of Spookers made this hearse himself

I love this place. It’s a great night out and, if you book in advance, they put on a terrific banquet spread for your group. CDH and I were married at Spookers (yes, really!) You can see our wedding pics on my Gothic Wedding Planner site.

Our wedding at Spookers, 2008

Uninvited guests

Transylvania Blacklight Mini Golf

Located in West Auckland, Transylvania mini golf features a 12 hole indoor mini-golf course entirely under black light – wear your cyber clubbing gear of maximum crazy effect. Each hole is modelled after a person, place or legend in Transylvanian history. The course also features a café and gothic store – local stockists of alchemy gothic accessories and keen supporter and distributor of Nocturne Magazine – New Zealand’s only dark arts and culture magazine.

Transylvania mini golf - it's hard to get a good picture in here

Waikomete Cemetery

Waikomete cemetery covers over 108 hecteres and is one of the largest burial grounds in the Southern Hemisphere. Established in 1886 and now home to over 700 000 souls, the cemetery contains many historic burials documenting periods of New Zealand’s history. Historic burials include a holocaust memorial (adjacent to the Hebrew prayer house in the Jewish section) consisting of a simple granite block. An inmate of Auschwitz buried an urn of ashes kept from the concentration camp beneath the memorial. Victims of the influenza epidemic were transported to Waikumete by train and buried in unmarked graves along Eucalyptus Way. A simple granite memorial marks that site.

Adjacent to the main entrance on Great North road is a memorial to the unidentified victioms of the Erebus crash – an Air New Zealand flight to Antactica that crashed in 1979, killing all on board. The mass grave contains 16 caskets, but many other bodies could not be recovered from the crash site.

The cemetery is considered one of the most haunted in the world. 19 New Zealand murderers were hung and buried in unmarked graves in an area called ‘Murderers’ Cove’. The Chapel of Faith receives regular visits from a black-shrouded woman and apparitions commonly stalk the older gravesites.

Old band photo shoot at Waikumete Cemetery

I find the cemetery a fine place for a summer picnic, and many local metal bands take their photos there (including my husband’s). The Friends of Waikumete host cemetery walks on the first Sunday of every month. Telephone 817 6547 or 818 4228.

A definite haunted location to check out is Pumped Café at Platform 7, a Waitakere café which started out as a railway station adjacent to Waikumete cemetery. The building relocated to Glen Eden in 2002 and since the week of it’s opening, the owners report regular visits from the Ghost of Alec MacFarlane. Alec was a station porter in 1924. One day, he waited on the platform when a loose hook from a passing train hit him on the head, decapitating him. Visiters often see a bearded figure wearing a grey trench coat waiting on the platform, or feel him moving beside them. He appears to be a friendly ghost.

Grymm Photo Opportunities

Auckland boasts an array of volcanic cones, most of which the Maori – the pre-European inhabitants of the island – built Pa (earthwork fortifications) atop. To see the best speciman’s of these, head to Mt. Eden, or one tree hill. One tree hill is called thus because one single tree grows at the summit, or it did till an angered hippie attempted to chainsaw it down in <>. The tree subsequently died a heroic and tree-like death. Now one tree hill is so only in spirit.

I work next to the Auckland Domain, which is a lovely area to walk around and explore. I love eating my lunch by the duck pond. The shopping areas of Newmarket and Parnell are right next to the Domain.

For another part of Auckland history, and the perfect opportunity for kreig photo opportunities, North Head on the North Shore of the city boats an array of historic tunnels, rapports and gun turrets. Now a protected historic park, North head was originally built as a response to threats of Japanese attacks. It was never used. Visitors are free to wander the tunnels and turrets. Take a torch or candles – some of the tunnels are quite dark.

My hen's night at North Head

North Head Tunnels

Clubs, Shops and Eating

We don’t currently have any dedicated goth/metal bars. We usually have one start up, survive on the bones of it’s ass for a year or two, then become a hipster club once they realise metalheads are all too hard-up to sustain a bar.

The last bar, Oblivion, was run by a mate of mine and was a great supporter of the local dark culture – it was a bar for all types of music, from industrial to metal to punk to goth to rock n’ roll and jelly wrestling (your’s truly has a black belt in jelly wrestling). While the place was tiny (capacity around 150 – actual capacity about 25) and the music was stupidly loud and the sound was terrible (is it ever good in a tiny venue?) no two nights at oblivion were the same.

Most of the local metal shows now happen at either the Kings Arms (the oldest pub in New Zealand, and, bar none, the best live venue in the entire country), and the Thirsty Dog (a tiny irish bar on K’rd with a great atmosphere). If you’re wanting to catch a local show, check out NZ Metal or Chaos Forums for the latest shows, or just email me, and I’ll tell you. There’s also “Church“, the gothic music and chill out time on Sundays at Whammy Bar.

The best local zine / metal radio show is Slaughterhouse (run by two rad dudes – Brendon and Max, but you’ve also got the Axe Attack.

If you’re on the market for new dark accessoires, clothing and décor, where in Auckland might you sate your consumer desires? Victoria Park Markets open every Saturday at Victoria Park in the city. A few years ago this area was a thriving underground market with street performers, musicians and local artisans. Last time I went it was but a shadow of what it used to be. Still, worth a look in case it’s flowering again.

Illicit Clothing is an institution. Their unique brand of biker chic, tattoo art and almost gangsta style hoodies and shirts have won them a cult following in NZ. Illicit has a sparkling clean reputation for top-class, pristine and quality tattooing and piercing work. They also support many local artists. Down the stairs at the back of the shop is an art gallery featuring local alternative artists.

Right next door, Misery boutique features high-end alternative fashions and accessories. I’ve never been able to afford any of the clothes, but it’s a great place if you’re into that.

One of my favourite Auckland stores is Smoove, located behind Glassons on ‘little high street’. Smoove are purveyors of GLP clothing and corsets and some of the funkiest dresses and accessories. Sign up to their email list and receive notice of secret 50% off sales (you walk to the counter with your purchuse, whisper the code word and you get 50% off).

I also love Riccochet, a New Zealand designer label (which is really quite affordable). You can also find great thrifting bargains at Paperbag Princess and Recycle Boutique.

For food, my favorite places are Satya South Indian on K’rd, Revive (vege food) on High Street and Fort Street, Nikki’s Thai in Newmarket, Safran’s in Newmarket, and Midnight Express Turkish in town. I am now a HUGE fan of Cassette Number Nine since they treated me so sweet on my brithday, and we’re quite a fan of Galbraiths pub and brewery, and the Wine Cellar/Whammy Bar in town. Every week I go to La Cigale French Market to get organic fruit and veges (and incredible smoked salmon). If you’re in New Zealand, you want to have some fish & chips. paua fritters, whitebait fritters, or a deep-fried mars bar.

Auckland isn’t a city imfamous for its dark subculture, but, like all cities, it’s there, under the surface, if only you know where to look. And, of course, if you’re planning a visit and want a local to show you around and introduce you to some rad people, hit me up. I’m always keen to show off my city. (be prepared for a lot of rambling and getting lost, though. I am appallingly bad at leading people around. But it’s not every day you get a city tour led by a blind metalhead chick – it’s all part of the experience.)

Aucklanders, pipe up! What are your favorite things to do and see?