Lena Lewis

Review of Larnach Castle

I'll preface this by pointing out it is not a chea...

I'll preface this by pointing out it is not a cheap ticket. That said, this "castle" is an expensively built home dating from 1871 with much of it now wonderfully restored. The self guided tour is recommended to start in the basement where there are interesting histories. I say plural because there is the intriguing story of the original builder and his wives and children with staggering wealth and success followed by painful loss and death. 70 years later there is a new story of a young couple that finds a decaying old mansion and makes it theirs. The home has a main level, two bedroom levels and a large ballroom as an attached, but separate, neighboring building. It is not as vast as it might seem as a significant portion is enclose veranda around the main structure. The workmanship is amazing for its day with interesting juxtapositions to what would be 'fancy' today. The view of the grounds and the peninsula from the roof top is incredible. There are some areas not yet restored. Pull back the curtain in the history room, for example, to see some unfinished rooms and have a look at the greenhouse areas outside. In our case we did not have enough time to walk much of the garden but it looked promising (although every garden in NZ seems to be) with Alice in Wonderland yard art visible in what we did see.