Seacliff Lunatic Asylum

Otago · New Zealand · Asylum

Thirty-seven women burned to death behind locked doors in Ward 5 — the woods above the ruins are now called the Enchanted Forest.

On 8 December 1942 fire broke out in the locked women's ward, Ward 5, at Seacliff. Thirty-seven patients burned to death — locked in, with no way out. The hospital was eventually demolished, but the foundations remain in the dense bush locals call the Enchanted Forest, and among the ruins and the old morgue foundation visitors describe a heavy, grieving atmosphere. The site ranks among New Zealand's most haunted.

When Seacliff Lunatic Asylum was completed in the 1880s it was the largest building in the country, a Gothic palace for the mentally ill north of Dunedin. The ground beneath gave way almost at once, cracks ran through the walls, and the building was doomed from the start.

FAQ

Where is Seacliff Lunatic Asylum located?

Seacliff Lunatic Asylum is in Otago, New Zealand.

More haunted places in Otago

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.