Jessie Mansfield shows off some of the costumes she has just bought. Photo: RNZ / Soumya Bhamidipati
It is 31 October, which means all over the country zombies, witches and ghosts will tonight take to the streets to celebrate Halloween.
Three-year-old Maaike is dressed as Chase, a character from the children's TV series Paw Patrol. It is his second costume of the week - he decided on a spookier option for a community halloween event on Sunday night.
"Ghost!" he said, "Because I love them."
Erica van Zon with Maaike, whose Halloween costumes this year have included a ghost and Chase from Paw Patrol. Photo: RNZ / Soumya Bhamidipati
His mum Erica van Zon said Halloween seemed to have gained traction since she was a child.
"Friends who have had children who are now teenagers were really getting into it when they were little," she said. "Being creative and having something to look forward to, and an event. But I definitely see that it's become more and more popular."
Jessie Mansfield agreed, and said her eight-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter loved the social side of Halloween.
"We're vegetarian and vegan so a lot of the time they can't even eat the candy, so it's not really about the candy, it's just about dressing up and having fun with their friends."
After moving back to New Zealand from the US, Sam Kesala is pleased to see Halloween has become more popular here. Kesala grew up in Palmerston North with an American mother, and went trick-or-treating every year. Photo: RNZ / Soumya Bhamidipati
"We were a little bit abnormal in the neighbourhood for being that excited," he said. "The worst thing that happens is you go trick-or-treating as a kid and you just knock on the door and they ignore you... my feelings were definitely hurt as a little kid but it's also like, people aren't exposed to the holiday or the tradition."
Kesala moved back to New Zealand last year, after a decade in the United States. He lived on Holloway Road, an ideal setting for Halloween enthusiasts - the Aro Valley street has a notorious history that includes reported ghost sightings, murder and an alleged Russian spy meeting.
Halloween growing in popularity in New Zealand
Kesala said he had noticed more enthusiasm about the spooky season since he had returned to New Zealand.
"Halloween seems more popular here than it did in the early 2000s, Last year - that would've been Halloween 2022 - Holloway Road was really popping, there were a lot of little kids."
Hanging decorations on Holloway Road, Wellington. Photo: RNZ / Soumya Bhamidipati
Pandora Tolson had spent more than 10 years working in retail and said her store was selling more costumes each year.
"With my friends it was very 'oh my gosh, that's so American' and now... you can get costumes at the Warehouse, you can get costumes at Kmart, it's so mainstream now in New Zealand. It's great because it does have that heritage, the European heritage, not just the Americanisation of it."
Retail worker Pandora Tolson says costumes get more and more popular each Halloween. Photo: RNZ / Soumya Bhamidipati
University of Auckland theologist Dr Nick Thompson explained that while America globalised traditions like trick-or-treating and jack-o-lanterns through pop culture, the practices originated in Europe.
"In Scotland, in particular, you have this tradition of what the Scots call guising, where kids will go from door-to-door and do the trick-or-treating. One of the things they do is to carve out turnips into the shape of skulls and put candles inside."
He said New Zealand children now were much more exposed to international cultures, particularly through the internet.
With sweets and treats up for grabs, that was not something many kids would say boo to.