Meet Charlie, The Chateau 's Resident Ghost

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 599, 15 August 1995, Page 11 (Supplement)

Meet Charlie, The Chateau 's Resident Ghost

We've all heard stories about ghosts. Wellington 's Saint James Theatre has a well known supernatural inhabitant, the Tower of London has them to spare - but not so well known is Charlie, the resident ghost at The Grand Chateau. According to Christine Griffin, manager of human resources at the hotel, Charlie first arrived in 1942. "During the second world war, from 1942 to 1945, The Grand Chateau was used as a hospital for psychiatric patients who could no longer stay in the earthquakedamaged Porirua hospital," she says. "I don't know Charlie's last name, I don't know his age or anything else about him, but he hanged himself in his room and ever since strange things have happened." Christine says that among those strange things is a noticeable difference in temperature in the middle of the room. "When you walk in it's a normal temperature right by the door and by the

window. But in the middle it's freezing cald." One of the housekeepers who has been at the hotel for nearly 1 1 years says that the stool beneath the dressing table is sometimes pulled out as though someone has been sitting there, looking at the mirror, even when the room has been empty for some time. She insists that the stool is always put back beneath the table but it is often found in a different position. Another housekeeper says that indentations are sometimes found in the bed as though someone has been lying there, again when the room is known to be empty. "Long before the hotel was renovated, the rooms used to have a very thick orange shag pile carpet," Christine says. "The staff used to use a plastic rake to rake the carpet. But in this room they'd come back and find footprints as though someone had been walking here." In a more embarrassing episode, a German woman was booked into the room but returned to reception claiming she couldn't stay there. Assuming a double booking, Christine accompanied

her up to the room to find out who was staying there. When they arrived the woman pointed at the stool and said "there he is." "I couldn't see a thing," Christine says, "but she was obviously quite psychic and could see him. It was just so strange. So we put her in another room." Other staff members have seen or felt Charlie around the hotel, especially at night. One saw his reflection in the Ngauruhoe window, and turned around to ask him if he was all right only to find there was no one there. Another claims to have been tapped on the shoulder while vacuuming on the third floor. The lift also operates itself fairly regularly. Christine says that she thinks of Charlie as just another part of the hotel. "I don't think he's a threatening ghost at all," she says. "He's quite happy to be here and just enjoys himself. Most people don't notice him. But a few people do get quite freaked out." If you believe in ghosts, it might be a good idea to check with reception when you book in about whether you're in Charlie's room. Otherwise, who knows what could happen?