Bill Miller

Constable **Bill Miller** was a policeman who patrolled Wellington until his death during the 1930s and eventually returned as a ghost. He appears in *Wellington Paranormal*.

## Biography

During his life, he was Officer 681 of the Wellington Police Force, whose headquarters was based in Mount Cook at the time. Miller died while on duty issuing tickets to drivers tooting their horns in Mount Victoria tunnel. The local drivers’ tradition of tooting while driving through the tunnel served as a deterrent for any ghosts returning there.

In 2019, officers O’Leary and Minogue acted upon complaints from locals about the constant horn tooting by putting up a sign at the tunnel entrance stating “PLEASE DO NOT USE YOUR HORN UNNECESSARILY”. The lack of horns caused Miller’s ghost to return to the tunnel. He knocked a man off his scooter and surprised the two officers with his presence before disappearing, leaving smoke resembling car fumes behind him.

Miller then proceeded to his old police station, which was now an apartment block for students. He called one of the residents a “dirty harlot” for her clothing and locked her in a former cell room in the apartment along with two of her housemates. Sergeant Maaka received report of a commotion and sent O’Leary and Minogue to investigate. As they found the imprisoned students, Miller suddenly appeared and insulted the cops’ hats, mocking O’Leary for being a female officer. He declared that he would put Wellington back to the way it used to be before disappearing into wall. The prison bars disappeared, freeing the students.

The two officers drove back to the station, furious at being insulted. Maaka revealed the information he found about Miller and described more reports he received of him threatening members of the public in bars near the areas he used to patrol. Maaka directed the officers to Cuba Street, the last place Miller used to frequent.

O’Leary and Minogue entered a bar in Cuba Street, where Miller appeared and threatened to shut down the pub for being open after 6pm. The officers confronted him outside and he beat them with his baton before walking through a wall again. Maaka arrived and asked them to meet him at Wellington Botanic Garden, where Miller used to end his shift.

At the top of the garden, Minogue and O’Leary heard Miller’s whistle from the bottom of the hill. They leapt into a cable car before realising how slow the journey will be. Miller appeared in the car going in the opposite direction and stared at them. At the bottom of the hill, they found Miller harassing a dog walker. Maaka arrived and lured him away with malicious bell ringing. The officers followed the chase in their car and eventually caught up with them at Mount Victoria Tunnel. There, O’Leary informed Miller that he was no longer a policeman, leaving him upset. To keep his sense of purpose, Maaka put Miller on duty to patrol the tunnel, on the condition that he remain invisible and not use his whistle. Miller accepted and vanished upon being driven into by a car. Minogue covered the “DO NOT” on the sign, thus resuming the tooting and keeping all spirits at bay.

## Appearances

* *Wellington Paranormal*
	+ "Mt. Vic Hooters"

## References

Bracewell, Melanie (writer) & van Dammen, Tim (director) (30 October 2019). "Mt. Vic Hooters". *Wellington Paranormal*. Episode 9. TVNZ 2.