New equipment raising paranormal sleuth spirits

Wanganui Paranormal Investigations is in high spirits due to the purchase of new equipment, which it says will greatly aid its investigations, and an increased demand for its services.

John Sturmey, founder and chief executive, and group co-founder Cath Downey, said two new members had joined the team, one of them with many years of experience.

Mr Sturmey said the arrival of the newcomers was particularly timely as two younger members had recently left after taking part in an investigation that Mr Sturmey said left them both rattled and "freaked out".

"They realised that this line of work was maybe not the best for them," he said.

Last weekend members made use of the group's new DVR system with its four infra-red cameras, spending the weekend at a city home.

The occupants had reported what they described as the feeling of an unexplained presence as well as the random open and closing of doors.

Mr Sturmey said the infra-red equipment detected and showed an unexplained presence that was viewed by the group and shown to the homes' occupants.

He said at around midnight the aroma of toast permeated the air, coming from a cupboard in the hallway that was far removed from the kitchen, although subsequent enquiries into the home's history had shown that many years ago the cupboard door was in fact the entrance to the original kitchen.

The property is well over 100 years old and WPI staff are still in the process of gathering information about the house and all its previous occupants.

Mr Sturmey said that they had also received two separate requests to investigate properties in Wellington and were keen to look into the validity of the claims.

"If everything checks out we are very keen to head down there and investigate," he said. He said WPI received no payment for what it did, unless those who used their services made a donation to help cover the costs incurred of things like travel and meals.

To learn more go to: www.wanganuiparanormalinvestigations.com