So, you may be wondering how I ended up in prison (or not). Either way...
After bumming around Wellington for a few days, Jay and I left on February 18 because literally every hostel and hotel was booked solid due to some big music festival (which I would have liked to go to, had we had somewhere to sleep!). We jumped on the ferry to the South Island (a three-hour ride) and stayed the night in Picton, at a place we lovingly nicknamed the "Bates Motel," which was plastered with signs in various languages (everything from Korean and Croatian to Swalian and Swiss) warning people to "Wash 'n' dry and put away your own dishes, unless you brought your mum," and "Wash your horoi o ringa ringa (hands)," as if the place was populated by 12-year-olds that hadn't yet been weened from their mom's teat.
The next day, while wandering around waiting for the bus to Nelson, a man, spotting the flag on my backpack, strolls over and asks, "Are you from Newfoundland?" Turns out he's from Halifax, NS and is on a cruise around New Zealand. After chatting for a while, we learn that his wife's family is from Burin, NL (where Jay's dad is from). Small world indeed! He wishes us luck in our adventures and in the job hunt.
Look who else I ran into in Picton - it's Marty Mouse, Mickey's cousin!
We hang out in Nelson for a few days (a very nice, cool city), where we hike up to the "Centre of New Zealand." There's some debate as to whether this spot is actually the centre of the country, but there's a nice lil' plaque and stuff up there, and the views (all the way out to Abel Tasman) are great.
Back at our hostel in the back garden, we chat with an Indiana Jones-esque Kiwi (donning a similar hat) and his Kiwi friends, who are all smoking and doing tequila shots and having a dandy ol' time. We tell him about our plans to head down to Motueka (a small-ish town not too far away) to look for fruit picking work, and he says he knows a guy who has a bus-converted-camper kinda thing that we can stay in for 30 bucks a week or so with a bunch of other hippies. He then riddles off a bunch of philosophical stuff about living each moment, how we only have one life to live etc. etc. before we say goodnight and go on our merry way.
Once in Motueka, we check into the Laughing Kiwi Backpackers (which is really nice and run by a lovely Kiwi couple) and visit the place that's supposed to have information on fruit picking work; but unfortunately, the only thing we find is a sign that says, "When there's work, this sign will not be here," or something like that. Somewhere along the way I catch the Kiwi death flu (complete with fever, chills and mucus galore). This is also about the time that I give Napier Prison a ring.
So...I first found out about Napier Prison when I was back in Newfoundland. The prison is the oldest in New Zealand (it opened in 1862 and closed in 1993 - not that long ago when you think about it!) and up until a couple of years ago, served as a backpackers so people travelling through would actually pay to sleep in the old cells and use the facilities that were originally used by the inmates. I thought this was pretty cool and made a promise to spend at least one night behind bars.
While in NZ, I found out that the prison isn't actually a backpackers anymore, but that travellers could work there (as tour guides, cleaners, gardeners, etc.) in exchange for accommodation. "Cool," I thought, so through all the wheezing and phlegm, I gave them a call only to find out that they were full at the moment, but that there should be room for a couple more people in a week or so. "Awesome!" I thought. So, I dragged my feverish ass back on the bus to Picton (about a two-hour ride), back on the ferry and over to Wellington again (where we stayed for a couple of nights), then caught a bus up to Napier (about a four-hour drive) while in a sweaty daze the whole way.
Napier is a very cool (and smallish) city located in Hawke's Bay and is known as the "Art Deco Capital of the World." "Why?" you may be asking. Well basically, a huge earthquake flattened the city in 1931 and so when it came time to rebuild, the buildings were constructed in the Art Deco style that was popular at that time.
We spent our first few nights at Toad Hall backpackers, which is one of the only buildings that survived the 1931 quake. It wasn't long before Jay and I hiked up to the prison for an interview, which obviously, went just dandy. Initially, considering my writing background, I was told there may be some script writing work for me to do. You see, the couple that runs the prison, Marion and Toro Waaka (who are a couple of the loveliest people you will ever meet), also own a company called Citywalksz, where they create audio walking tours (which are placed on MP3s devices) for cruise ship passengers exploring different ports around the world. They have various people who research and write the tours, so they seemed keen to have me join the ranks. But when Jay and I got to the prison (on March 3), they were in need of tour guides, so that's what we ended up doing. However, I also got the chance to put all that radio training from King's to good use, as I ended up recording a few tours for Citywalksz, including Seattle and a couple of places in Alaska. A Newfie, in New Zealand, recording audio tours for cruise ship passengers visiting places in the States which I've never stepped foot in. Imagine dat 'by! : ) Here's a snippet of the Seward, Alaska tour, featuring yours truly:
So, back to the prison...growing up, I was pretty hesitant to speak up in class (even if I knew the answer to a question) and to this day, the thought of getting up and giving a speech or speaking to a room full of people frightens the bejesus outta me. So I never imagined in a gazillion years that I would find myself working as a tour guide. But once I got into it, I really started loving it. Here are a couple of shots of me and Jay in action:
I'm to the right of the door, in the blue jacket.
I've given tours to more groups than I can count, both big and small. The very first tour I did was actually with a group from a cruise ship - about 50 people that Jay and I split between us. Talk about throwing us into the deep end! And not even a week after that, Jay and I, along with our lovely friends and fellow "inmates" Minnesota Bill (who arrived at the prison just several days after we did) and Stef from Germany, did a tour with around 65 13-year-olds (splitting them between the four of us) from a local all boys school. I remember that morning, the four of us were inside the office, watching the security camera nervously. The group was supposed to show up at 9 a.m., so by 10, we didn't think they were coming - until we looked up at the screen and saw a few feet come into view, walking up the hill, followed by more feet, and more, and more...until the boys flooded the screen like a giant wave. It was pretty cool. They were quite the rambunctious and inquisitive group, always raising their hand and calling me "Miss" whenever they had a question. I felt pretty old that morning, haha...
Of course, the boys were most interested in hearing the ghost stories surrounding the prison. I could go on for ages sharing them with you here - but why tell you when I can show you? Last August, the prison was featured on the season finale of Ghost Hunters International. If you're keen, you can watch the whole episode by clicking the links below.
In this clip, you'll meet Marion and Toro (check out Marion's awesome Scottish accent! I love how they gave her subtitles, haha ). Also in this clip, from 4:25 - 5:05, you'll see the Escape Route, aka my and Jay's bedroom for four months!
And here are the other parts of the show:
Some people may find the place a bit freaky, but we just know it as "home sweet home." We sleep in the old cells and use the same toilets, showers, kitchen, etc. that the inmates used. (Speaking of which, sometimes we have former inmates come by the prison to do tours, just to visit their old home, and they share info. and stories with us of what the prison was like back then - pretty awesome! One former inmate told us how he used to sneak out of the prison every weekend to meet up with his Missus at the bar in town. They're still together today. Pretty romantic, wha?) It's actually quite comfy here, and I've made so many great friends.
Alright, so the guy in the pic above is actually one of the actors who do the Dead Hill scary night tours. We were lucky enough to do one of these tours with some fellow "inmates" just a couple of nights after we arrived at the prison. Basically, a guide brings you around the prison, in the pitch black, and shares all the scary tales. They also lock you up in the cells while the other actors (donning costumes and fake blood), hiding in the corners and slithering out from underneath the bed boards, whisper weird things in your ear and try to frighten the bleep outta you. It's good fun, and the actors are real pros.
So...you may be a bit curious as to what Napier Prison (aka my home) looks like. Here's a bit of a pictorial tour for you. But first, let me introduce you to Basil, our resident ghost cat.
Jay (donning his warden costume) with his buddy Basil.
In the 1960s a man named Basil was sent to Napier Prison for minor fraud charges. Basil was a great cat lover and had about 30 of them at his home. One night, there was a house fire and Basil got badly burned and afterward, could only grow half a ginger moustache (the other half appeared as a black patch). When Basil came to prison, he was allowed to bring a cat with him. One night, Basil died in his sleep. That day, his cat ran away and the next day, a kitten appeared. The peculiar thing about this kitten was that it appeared to have the same facial markings as Basil the inmate (a half ginger/half black moustache). Some psychics believe that Basil (pictured) is Basil the inmate's original cat - but if this were the case, the cat would be almost 50 years old. (Apparently, we've had former inmates from the seventies and early eighties come by the prison to visit and when they see Basil, they point at her, saying, "What's that cat still doing here?") Others believe that Basil the cat is actually possessed by the spirit of Basil the inmate. If you look closely at Basil, you will see that she does indeed appear to have a half ginger/half black moustache (are you spooked out yet?).
When Marion and Toro came here in 2002, they brought a small dog with them and tried to get Basil to leave - but she refused and has lived here ever since. We all take care of her, feed her and cuddle with her (when she lets us). I've never seen Basil outside of the prison's grounds. It is said that she usually hangs out in front of cell 26, which, oddly enough, was Basil's old cell - though I usually find her hanging out in the graveyard or the hanging yard. They also say whenever strange things happen, Basil is close by (I can attest to this myself!). Basil is one of the most popular parts of the tour and we've even had former inmates call just to check up on her. Basil usually follows me around when I do my tours, running along just in front of me and disappearing down dark hallways. And strangely enough, pretty much every time I reach Basil's old cell and start telling the story, Basil the cat usually reappears, slinking past me and into the graveyard just out back. She's definitely an odd little cat - but we love her!
Another creepy lil' story for you: Apparently one day, a staffer named Tracy saw a portly man walking towards the women's wing, which is where Basil's cell was located (the prison also held women, and children as young as eight years old, in the early days). Staff are asked to keep an eye out for strangers wandering around and escort them out if they're not paying customers, so Tracy followed the man. When she reached the wing, however, the man had disappeared into thin air (he couldn't have gone inside one of the cells, as all the doors had padlocks on them). Basil was said to be a portly man whose ghost was seen by prisoners to occasionally walk the corridors. Tracy handed in her notice shortly after.
So...on with the tour. You'll likely see Basil pop up in these pics. As I said, she likes to follow me around.
The brick wall surrounding the prison was built in 1906 (some years after the complex opened) for the coming of the Crown but apparently, King Edward never came.
Ironically, the prisoners actually built the wall that confined them, hauling stones up from the quarry across the street that is now beautiful Centennial Gardens.
As a way to make them feel a bit better about this, the prisoners were given artistic freedom and were allowed to etch designs into some of the stones.
This is the door through which the townspeople would walk to see the hangings, which took place from 1872-1889. The hangings took place at 8 a.m. and were regarded as great entertainment back then and whole families (including children) would visit the prison to see them.
The warden's hut (to the left) is actually where Marion and Toro live. The building next to that is the old infirmary. Apparently one day, an inmate was working at the quarry when he got his finger crushed between two stones. When he came to the infirmary the nurses gave him an aspirin for the pain, they cut off his finger with a scalpel and used a lighter to cauterize the wound. I guess medical care was pretty basic back then.
The Pound used to be a mini lunatic asylum. Later, because it was the most secure area of the prison, it served as solitary confinement. Here, a prisoner would be locked in a cell for up to two weeks, 23 hours a day, and given neither bedding nor clothing - just a blanket that was taken each morning at 5 a.m.
While in the Pound, an inmate was allowed just one hour outside their cell. This would be reserved for the toilet, shower, or the exercise yard out back - which is quite small.
Many years ago, "The Hole" is where inmates with behavioural issues were locked up as punishment. But the 1800s were a very different time of course, and people back then probably didn't realize that locking people with mental issues in a dank, dark hole would only make them worse, not better. The Hole also stored dry powder during the Maori war days and later, when the excavation work was going on at Centennial Gardens, this is where the quarry master stored explosives. Today, The Hole has different uses. This Easter, for example, Marion hid big Easter eggs around the prison for us while Sheree (another good "inmate" buddy and the prison's only permanent employee) gave us clues as to where we would find them. The Hole is where my egg was hidden!
Detox is the first place an inmate would visit upon entering the prison. Here they would have their mugshots taken, their heights and weights measured, and if their sentence exceeded one week their hair would be cropped close or shaved off.
Jay certainly looks like he could use a shave! Where's Jake Doyle when you need 'em?
Any inmates that didn't have a toilet in their cell would use one of these three. (Luckily, Jay and I do have a toilet in our cell, but some of our fellow "inmates" do not, so they have to use these.) Sometimes, the inmates would set up their boots as decoys and escape through the roof. The mural that you see was done by inmates in the eighties.
These are the showers that the inmates used to use and are indeed the ones we use today! I'm pretty sure the "Don't drop the soap" sign was a later addition.
This is the sign posted on the door of the staff room, which used to be part of the Mess Hall and is now pretty much the social centre of the prison. This is also where I go when I want to have cuddles with Basil! Speaking of which...
There she is!
This was the prison's main exercise yard. The most popular game amongst the inmates was called "Crash" and was pretty much rugby without a ball. Basically, the inmates would form teams and would try to bowl each other over into the hard concrete. One notable match happened when an inmate hit his skull against the corner of the metal window grating with such force that his eyeball popped out. Apparently, this guy is still on the go today. See those red lines on the ground? In 2005, a reality TV show called "Redemption Hill" was filmed here. The show featured a group of troubled teens with troubled lives that needed fixing. The red lines are the cue lines that the kids would walk along to stay in view of the cameras. And...heeeeere's Basil!
This is the Mess Hall, which the inmates would visit three times a day for their meals. Apparently, later on, the food was quite good and on days when court was held in Napier even the judges were known to walk up for a bite to eat. The mural on the back wall is another piece of art courtesy of one of the inmates. It's a painting of Cape Kidnappers, which is not too far from here.
This is Remand Hallway and cells one, two and three were known as the "Suicide Watch Cells." However, inside some of these cells you'll find nails coming out of the walls, exposed electrical wiring and metal wires along the bed boards - not good for those with suicidal tendencies!
The last death at Napier Prison occurred in cell number two, just two weeks before the prison closed its doors in 1993. A man named Wayne hung himself by tying his bed sheets from the window grating. Pictured is Wayne's suicide note.
These are the Cages, which used to act as holding cells for gang members. Originally, the Cages didn't have toilets, sinks or showers, so the inmates had to use "piss pots" to relieve themselves. The guards, however, grew tired of having the contents of these pots thrown at them whenever they walked by doing their rounds, so toilets were installed in the eighties. Later, the Cages acted as a gym and educational centre.
This is where a guard would sit to keep on eye on the inmates in the Cages. In the night time, this room was used as a regular cell. The broken window you see is a souvenir left behind by one inmate who tried to commit suicide by running head first into the glass. He wasn't successful. This room is also known as the most haunted area of the prison and Marion had a bit of a freaky experience in there (which you'll hear about if you watch the Ghost Hunters International episode that I linked to above). The dummy lying on the bed in the room, of course, makes it that much creepier.
This lovely little space is called Redemption Hill Garden. When Marion and Toro first came here, the garden wasn't much to look at, so in 2005, the space was handed over to the kids of "Redemption Hill" as a kind of beautification project. I think they did quite the dandy job.
The Parole Board is also known as the "Black Room" because, well, it's pitch black. There's a small maze set up inside, which is a pretty popular part of the tour. I like to lock people in and get them to feel their way around in the dark to the door. During the Dead Hill tours, the guide also locks people in here - but there are actors hiding inside who grab at your hair and try to haul your shoes off as you go through.
This is the corridor where the bulk of the staff sleep. The old cells were given cheeky names by backpackers who have stayed here over the years.
This cell is called the "Escape Route," aka my and Jay's bedroom, and is located a few doors up from the Black Room. Many years ago, this was the cell of Roland Herbert Edwards. Basically, Roland had premonitions that his wife and kids were going to die in a terrible fire so to save them from this fate, he slit all their throats (his children were 1, 3, 5 and 7 years old at the time). Roland's hanging was the most popular to transpire at the prison and many had tickets to watch (those who couldn't get tickets watched from the trees up above). Apparently, this room is also haunted and every year, on July 15 (the anniversary of Roland's hanging) nobody is allowed to stay in there. (For more creepy stories about this room, check out the Ghost Hunters International episode.)
This area is called the "Dome" or the "Hub" and is the physical centre of the prison. If you were to look down the corridor in which I'm standing, you would see the twisted and warped floors - a result of the 1931 earthquake. On that day, some inmates were working at the quarry, so some were injured or killed. Back at the prison, other inmates were trapped inside their cells because the pressure of the quake managed to bend the bolts on the doors; however, since the complex is made of wood, the guards could chop the doors at the hinges to release the prisoners. Many prisoners helped with the rescue efforts and those that did were given a reduction in their sentences. To my knowledge, Napier Prison is actually the only building where you can see the original path of the quake. The cell in the corner is the Association Cell. This is where inmates who were at risk of joining any of the gangs at the prison were held until the desire to associate left them.
The South Wing is where Death Row was located and later on, is where the key men or trustees stayed. These were prisoners who were trusted to a certain degree and who carried out certain duties - like preparing meals and opening other inmates doors at specified times. They also acted as fire wardens. The prison held regular fire drills and the inmates took them quite seriously, since the complex is made of wood. If you look straight down, you will see our kitchen.
The East Wing is where female inmates were held years ago. Female prisoners were allowed to have their children with them until they were six months old. Many a backpacker have reported hearing strange sounds from this area in the middle of the night, like women crying, children laughing and little feet tip-toeing around. Cell 26 (the last door on the left down the East Wing) was Basil's cell.
This is the graveyard where Roland Herbert Edwards (whose headstone is pictured), among several others, are buried. They were reportedly buried standing up so that their souls could not rest. Another person who was buried here (whose body, I understand, has since been moved) was Kereopa Te Rau. Kereopa worked as a policeman in Auckland in the 1850s before discovering that his family had been killed by a band of Europeans. Kereopa believed that a German missionary named Carl Volkner was largely responsible, so he got together with a bunch of Maori men and hung Volkner. Kereopa believed that since Volkner was the last to see his family alive that his eyes contained the souls of his children. So, in order to get their souls back, Kereopa ate Volkner's eyes. For this reason, Kereopa is known as Kaiwhatu, or "the Eye Eater" - a pretty fitting nickname!
And last but not least, we have the Hanging Yard - by far the most popular stop on the tour. The majority of the executions here were performed by Tom Long, a rambunctious Irishman (and New Zealand's only publicly known hangman) who took great pride in his "public service career" and who was often thrown in prison himself for things like drunkenness and assault. Tom is most famous for hanging Minnie Dean, the only female to be hanged in New Zealand. Tom made a good living from his public service career and eventually, retired to a small farm. His good luck didn't last long, however, as he was killed one day by a falling tree. I guess the moral of the story is don't take pleasure in other people's pain, or karma will come and bite you in the butt.
And, just like the tour started it shall end, with Basil...napping on the gallows.
And there you have it. There are so many more stories I could tell, but to hear the rest, you'll just have to come on down and visit the prison for yourself! : )
My time here has been awesome so far and I love doing the tour guide thing. However, it's my "prison family" that really makes this place so special. Here are a few of them (back row): Steve and Liesil (the Americans); Ignacio, aka Little Nacho (the Chilean); Cat (from England); and Me and Jay. (Front): the other Ignacio/Nacho and Tomas (the other Chileans); Minnesota Bill; and Stef (the German).
