Dunedin’s Scottish character and heritage make it a fitting location for New Zealand’s only castle. Victorian merchant baron William Larnach had it built for his first wife in 1871, and spent more than a decade perfecting the castle and its surrounding acreage overlooking the Otago Peninsula. Sadly, Larnach was beset by tragedies and took his own life, after which the castle fell into disrepair. It later served as a hospital and rest home, but in 1967 it was bought by the Barker family, who launched a thorough (and ongoing) restoration and opened it to the public. Visitors may tour the castle and the grounds, which harbor one of the country’s few gardens to have been named a Garden of International Significance by the New Zealand Gardens Trust (the Dunedin Botanic Garden is another). High tea is served daily, either outside or in the Ballroom Café.
