Ghost Cricket—The Cricketer That Walks—First Published 17/2/2015

Black Dog Alley. (c) @jacktheclicker

This article was first published February 17th 2015 for New Zealand Tourism.com. By Andrew Smith.

Dunedin's Hair Raiser Tours is offering a thrilling tour with a cricketing twist.

Visitors looking to be bowled over by a spine-tingling experience in New Zealand’s historic Scottish settlement city of Dunedin during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 need look no further than the hair-raising ‘The Cricketer that Walks’ ghost tour.

Victorian period Gothic-style architecture and New Zealand’s only genuine castle – Larnach Castle – are key visitor attractions in Dunedin so it is little wonder the city is also said to house otherworldly inhabitants. 

Established 16-years-ago, Hair Raiser Ghost Tours are New Zealand’s first ghost tour company – taking visitors on an exploration of the southern South Island city and some of its historic buildings and places of rest. 

Long-established tours included an insight into the criminal past of those who came to Dunedin in search of gold in the 1800s, a trip to Dunedin’s Gothic Northern Cemetery and the original ghost tour walk through the darkened streets of the city, complete with expert ghost tour guide.

Celebration of cricket

In celebration of Dunedin and its host city status during the ICC Cricket World Cup, Hair Raiser Ghost tours are into the spirit of the game with their a cricket-themed ghost tour.  Ghost Cricket – The Cricketer that ‘Walks’ will take visitors on a themed tour around Dunedin’s historical haunts, with some cricketing challenges along the way. 

These challenges include a warm up at Dunedin’s famous Robbie Burns statue – the city’s ode to the Scottish poet.  There will be a high ball challenge at Dunedin’s architectural masterpiece the First Church, slip catches in a dark alley and bowling to the ‘Hair Raiser’ before the tour ends with a quick-fire cricket quiz at the cosy and welcoming Scottish themed Scotia Whiskey Bar and Bistro. 

Owner of Hair Raiser Ghost Tours, Andrew Smith, was inspired to bring the cricket-themed ghost tour to life by his own past experiences as a cricketer.  Like many Kiwi kids, Andrew started playing cricket at an early age before taking up contracts with UK clubs in Leeds and Bradfield. 

Known as ‘smudge’ on the field, cricket has been a big part of Andrew’s life, along with the Hair Raiser Ghost Tours he is now involved in coaching junior cricket.  The original Hair Raiser Ghost Tours have proved so popular the tour has been rated one of the top ten small tours in New Zealand by Air New Zealand’s Kia Ora magazine and featured on the television show, Ghost Hunt.

ICC Cricket World Cup 

Host city Dunedin is in the action early during the ICC Cricket World Cup: New Zealand’s BLACKCAPS play their second match of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup at tree-lined University Oval against Scotland on 17 February.

Sri Lanka face spirited, first-time World Cup contenders Afghanistan in the city on 22 February. Afghanistan then face Scotland in their home-away-from-home on 26 February.

About Dunedin

One of New Zealand’s oldest and most important settler cities, Dunedin’s Scottish heritage shows in the architecture, restaurants and bars serving haggis and a wee tipple, and the skirl of the bagpipes at many events.

Sheltered by the arms of a long dormant volcanic cone, Dunedin sits snugly in Otago Harbour. The surrounding beaches and inlets are numerous and spectacular while, just beyond the city limits, beautiful Otago Peninsula is a haven for significant wildlife populations and world-leading conservation projects.

An endearing city of fine Edwardian and Victorian architecture, Dunedin is one of the world’s great small cities – a centre of learning, heritage, arts and culture. The commercial hub of the Otago region, Dunedin has a vibrant compact city centre with restaurants, cafes, hotels and accommodation within walking distance while the city rise has stunning views.

© Andrew Smith—Hair Raiser Tours