After posting on Facebook how thrilled I was to be staying at Larnach Castle a friend warns me. ‘Let’s see how chipper we are when the moon is up and dancing amongst them scudding peninsula clouds. Cue spooky noises. Spooky place.’ It sounded like a voice of experience!
I check into one of the six guest rooms in the Stables, which were built before the 1871 castle: they are a charming 140 year old Category 1 listed historic building in the grounds of the castle.
The lower part of the Stables includes the breakfast area, guest lounge, laundry, internet site, and a display highlighting the original Stable horse stalls. I’m amazed at the beautifully cobblestoned brick floor which has remained firmly in place since they were laid: the workers were obviously skilled in their job.
Despite being an historic place this property is privately owned and receives no government or city funding and relies on its visitors and overnight guests to support it. Accommodation ranges from luxury to the more basic, shared-bathrooms, in the Stables. My bedroom was spacious and the bed very comfortable.
Beside the old coach-house is more accommodation called The Lodge which has twelve themed rooms (including Scottish, Enchanted Forest, New Zealand, Kauri, Pink, Goldrush and Victorian) and guests staying there join us in the Stables for breakfast – I meet a group of Boston women bikers over our amazingly large breakfasts. They’re in New Zealand for a two-week trip around the South Island with Paradise Motorbike Tours. They’re thrilled with both the tour and the Stables.
Just some praise includes ‘This place is phenomenal’; ‘Not many places a motorbike group can stay as well as families’; ‘Well-run and friendly’ and, they’re proud to be the oldest women’s bike group in the USA. They (16 women on 12 bikes) tell me about their trip so far:
‘Every hill I go over it’s like a new country, a new world. I saw a turquoise lake I’ve never seen before – I want to paint my bathroom that colour.’
‘New Zealand gets in your eyes.’
‘I haven’t stopped smiling.’
‘Traffic moves over for us – in Boston they try to run us over!’
Like me, they love the original floor, the iron mangers, and horse-box still in the stables-come-breakfast room and the baronial-style castle that William Larnach built for his family. Rich from the gold rush era (as a banker) he was born in Australia to Scottish parents, and during a trip to London was appointed as the manager of the Bank of Otago. Three years later he had bought the land with its great views of the Otago Harbour and soon after started work on ‘the camp’ which locals soon started calling ‘the castle’. The road is still called Camp Road.
The castle must have been the region’s biggest employer as it had some 200 workers and material was bought from around the world. As well as using local and Oamaru stone, kauri from the North Island, slate from Wales, mosaics from Belgium, bricks from Marseille, he also bought about 20 tons of French glass. All these were dragged, by oxen, up the steep 1000-foot hill (305 metres). He also imported stonemasons from Scotland, wood-carvers from England, and plasterers from Italy to build his dream home that’s well worth visiting!
New Zealand Gardens of International Significance says of this private garden ‘The scenery is spectacular and though the garden is subjected to wind and low rainfall it contains a unique collection of plants seldom seen elsewhere The plantings reflect the owner’s interest in New Zealand plants and in their southern hemisphere relations.’ Read more here.
No trip to the Dunedin region is complete unless you visit this New Zealand ‘castle’ which of course is not a replica of the European castles but a mansion built as a new-world, down under version of the old-world Gothic revival style.
PS: Spooky noises or ghosts – I never heard or saw them but if you do or have please add to the comments below.
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