Larnach Castle is the perfect bad-weather backup option on the Otago Peninsula. It combines an indoor self-tour with one of the best-established gardens in NZ, along with a cafe. It is open almost every day of the year, and there is an entry that you pay at the gate on the access driveway.
The Larnach family built the castle in the 1870s in a Gothic Revival style. The family called it “the Camp”, but locals quickly designated it a castle, presumably because it has a turret. Inside, the castle has been substantially restored by its current owners and is unique for NZ.
An excellent series of boards describes the life of the Larnach family, which was a combination of great success and abject tragedy, resulting in the sale of the castle in 1905. It then had multiple owners and had fallen into disrepair when the Barker family took it on in the 1960s and made it their life’s project. Make sure you watch the video!
