Larnach castle and wildlife tour

Yesterday was a beautiful expected weather day so we booked ourselves with Monarch Tours info here of all their tour options and detail

we were picked up by a van and was only 3 of us going to visit Larnach Castle plenty of info here and more pics on their site

we took the high road so there was plenty of stunning views along the way 

we stopped briefly to get a snap looking back towards Dundedin

and here is Larnach Castle.....privately owned by the Barker family who have restored this over many many years and intend for it to remain open for the people of NZ 😃  Actually is celebrating 50 years of renovation and holding a special ball this year 

The wonderful stairway to the front doors 

standing back for a better picture 

looking over the ballroom which was built by William Larnach for his children especially for his daughters as was costing him a fortune with them going to balls in Europe....

info here of William info and much better read than my ravings and apparently he was born in Australia in New South Wales 

huge garden and luscious lawns everywhere 

ducks sure were happy grazing lol 

beautiful flowers, stunning colours 

how about this heart seat 😍

this is inside the before mentioned ballroom.....ready for devonshire tea etc for many tourist groups coming through 

stunning chandeliers throughout and awesome timber flooring....

our guide at the top of one staircase made of Kauri wood NZ which led down to plenty of history details 😃

one part of the surround balcony which when first built had no glass.....but they soon discovered how cold this would be and had double glazing put in....

amazing and plenty of wonderful views 

Black Marble fireplace surround  in the music room....

painting of the castle and surround area 

looking back towards door in music room 

dining room 

and what about this wood carved ceiling artwork!

and this mirror is a butlers mirror.....it is shaped so you can see everyone dining behind you. Funnily enough we have one of these and now know what it is lol 

drawing room for the ladies and soft kneeling at the fireplace 

more incredible hand carved wood ceiling 

a few of the windows in the foyer hand etched Venetian glass  with at the top a cat...Scottish wildcats "sans Peur' (without fear)

this is the name William gave the home, not castle

the library 

the black Chinese chair is reputed to belong to William as a gift from his days in the gold fields.....all furniture was sold off by the children and said by the Barker family 

"When we bought the castle it was virtually empty of furniture and in a very sad state of repair with many leaks in the roof. We want to thank all those people who have loaned or sold us the original pieces now displayed lovingly throughout" 

up the stairs we go

Master bedroom with bedwarmer and old style ensuite next to bed lol 

view from the bedroom windows all round 

Oh yeah and I climbed up these spiral stairs (and can say today my thighs are sore lol)

door to the stairs

but worth the life risking climb up for the views lol 

one of the bathrooms and these bathtubs weigh a TON, how on earth did they get them up here.....

nursery 

again the views so neat 

and a quaint basin with a lion head as the faucet 

back to that stunning lion lined stairway

William Larnach himself....do have a good read in the info as very interesting indeed....their is a book too which I may see if I can get on his life......

closeup of fireplace in the ballroom....

we then were bused to wait here for our wildlife tour.....

and poor Woody was in my bag for the whole castle visit....whoops

anyway he was very happy to be on a boat going to see wildlife 👀

off we went 

and as luck would have it an Albatross flew behind us for a short time 😊

See that wing span....this is the Northern Royal Albatross

moving along and Paul went up the front to do some filming 

there was one penguin way over there but to hard to snap 

Steward Island Shag and Little Shag....

red billed gull and black backed gull were all here lol 

and some New Zealand fur seals, almost same colour as the rocks lol 

heading back after a fun time out 

and just above the lighthouse you can see 2 Albatross circling around 😊

yep selfie with van lol 

getting close lol 

bright coloured butterfly on this interesting plant 

and bumble bees.....we do not have in Oz and they look fat and furry 😈

statue of Robert Burns put in Dunedin by his great nephew....google it lol 

we then came back and had a very late lunch 

and found a low carb lager so enjoyed this very much 

across the road shot of town hall in Dunedin 

and Woody ready for bed last night......

well almost ready to leave here and continue on....

xoxoxoox reckon you will have enjoyed Teresa xo