The view from the tower of Larnach Castle takes in the full sweep of the Otago Peninsula — the harbour below, the Pacific beyond. William Larnach built this tower, and the 43-room castle beneath it, in 1871 on a New Zealand ridge, because he was not a man who thought in modest terms. He is said to be there still.
Born in New South Wales in 1833, Larnach had made his fortune in banking and commerce before settling in New Zealand as a financier, merchant, and member of Parliament. He built the castle for his first wife, Eliza Jane Guise; she died inside it. He married a second time; his second wife died in 1887. He married a third time, to Constance de Bathe Brandon, twenty-four years his junior. Rumors began that Constance was involved with Douglas, Larnach’s eldest son. In the late 1880s, his financial empire collapsed under the weight of New Zealand’s economic depression. Debts mounted. The castle became a liability he could neither maintain nor sell. In October 1898, he died by his own hand in a parliamentary committee room in Wellington.
The castle passed through owners and years of neglect before the Barker family purchased and restored it in 1967. It is now a heritage attraction and a designated New Zealand Landmark. Staff have reported doors that open without cause, footsteps tracking through empty corridors, and cold spots that move through rooms. The tower, with its unobstructed view of the harbour, is reported to be the focal point.
Story Source: TV episode titled “Larnach Castle” — Ghost Hunters International (Syfy, 2008)
Address: Larnach Castle, 145 Camp Rd, Otago Peninsula, Dunedin 9077, New Zealand
Google Map
