Hawke’s Bay Hills raising over Napier, pompously meet and see off guests. Owing to wineries, picturesque valleys of the east coast, historic bounties, and architectural monuments in the art deco style, the city became an example of the unique beauty of New Zealand. But on the top of one very meandering road outside the walls of Napier Prison are hidden the unpleasant memories.

The country's oldest penitentiary institution is the only place where you can see the traces of the deadly Hawke’s Bay earthquake taking place in 1931. The prison is a fixed reminding of a natural disaster, claiming 256 lives and leaving the coastal community deserted for many years.

Opened since 1862, the building witnessed four executions, served as an orphanage and mental hospital. In 1993, the building was left at all. Though the place is drowning in the past, many people think that some stories hidden in these walls will never end. The locals think that ghosts visit that place more than any other sites in New Zealand. Because of the strange stories, Napier Prison attracts tourists. And in 2007, to protect “the visitors”, the building was open for entertainment and excursions.

This place is famous, first of all, by its stories about the prisoner’s ghosts. Inexplicable steps, disembodied faces, opened and closed doors, ghosts “coming to life” on the anniversary of the execution. Most of the ghosts were seen close to their graves, the hanging courtyard, and in the parole room. They even dare to play with visitors’ hair, touch their shoulders, or grab the legs. The most famous ghost is the former prisoner Roland Edwards. A mass murderer, according to the rumors, living in the district and “going for walks” outside the prison.

Now Napier Prison is open for the daily individual audio tours. The interactive quests, available by appointment, take place there every day.