Investigation of Larnach Castle, Dunedin
- Barbara Caisley
- Jun 22
- 11 min read
Updated: Jul 24
17 and 18 April 2022
Larnach Castle, Camp Road, Dunedin
Larnach castle, located on the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin, New Zealand, is a historic building with a fascinating history. The iconic castle-like building was built by William James Mudie Larnach who was born on January 27, 1833, in New South Wales, Australia.
He later moved to New Zealand and became a successful businessman, politician, and notable landowner. Larnach made a fortune through various business ventures, including the importing and exporting of goods. He became involved in politics and during his political career was a member the New Zealand House of Representatives. He also represented various electorates at different times, including the Dunedin, Peninsula and the Tuapeka electorates.
One of the more well-known aspects of the Larnach family history is the construction of Larnach Castle (or Base Camp as Larnach referred to it). Designed by architect R A Lawson in a Victorian, neo-Gothic style the castle was built for Larnachs bride, Eliza as a grand residence for his growing family. Construction began in 1871, and it took three years to complete the first stage. Work on the inside of the home continued for a further 12 years. The stables were erected behind the castle in 1874.
The large and impressive ballroom adjoining the castle was constructed between 1885 and 1887, as a gift to his children. It is a significant feature of the castle and is one of the grandest rooms in the building. Today it is used to host events and balls and serves as a café to the many visitors who come to enjoy the spectacle of the ornate and opulent castle surrounded by spectacular gardens.
Following the building of the castle several tragedies befell the family. Despite his grand residence and his success in business and politics, William Larnach faced personal challenges, including financial difficulties and family tragedies including the death of his beloved first wife, Eliza in 1880, his second wife Mary in 1887, and his favourite daughter Kate in 1891. In 1898, William Larnach shot himself at the Parliament Buildings in Wellington, New Zealand. Some speculate it was result of not only his financial ruin but also the discovery that his third wife, Constance, and his son were having an affair.
After William’s death in 1898, the castle changed hands several times. It was used for various purposes, including a school for girls, an insane asylum, a soldier’s billet among other things. It stood empty for some time and apparently the ballroom was used to house sheep during the winter!! During this period, the castle fell into disrepair however in 1967, the Barker family purchased Larnach Castle and began extensive restoration work to bring the historic structure back to its former glory. The restoration process continued for several decades, with the castle eventually opening to the public in 1974.
Modern Times
Larnach Castle stands as a testament to New Zealand's colonial history and has become an iconic landmark on the Otago Peninsula. Its rich history, stunning architecture, and lush surroundings make it a must-visit destination for those exploring the region. It is now a popular award-winning tourist attraction with a luxury lodge having been built nearby, the old Stables offering affordable accommodation and the Ballroom serving as a café for visitors and as a venue for events and weddings. Visitors can explore the castle's impressive architecture, beautiful gardens, and enjoy panoramic views of the Otago Peninsula from its location.
Reported Possibly Paranormal Occurrences:
Larnach Castle are often associated with stories of ghosts and paranormal activity. Visitors and staff alike claim to have had paranormal experiences at the castle with many reports which include:
· Apparitions of a man (some believe to be William Larnach) have been sighted by both staff and visitors. (He is sometimes with a large dog.)
· A dark figure that flits across doorways.
· Footsteps being heard when no one is present.
· The sound of heavy furniture being moved has been heard (with no furniture moved).
· People being pushed on the front stairs and in the stairwell.
· Unexplained noises and odours
· A “presence” felt to enter rooms and sometimes stand between visitors to the castle.
· A woman who haunts the ballroom (thought to be William’s daughter Kate).
· A man seen with a dog in the castle
· A young boy who is seen in the castle gardens
· A staff member reported being pushed down the front stairs
The Stables which are to the rear of the castle also has reports of:
· Unexplained footsteps being heard
· People being touched
· A report from a paranormal investigator who was in the Stables several years ago insisted that he had water dripped on him “from nowhere”.
· Feelings of not being alone.
· Disembodied Voices
Sunday 17 April 2022
Paranormal Research team members Barbara Caisley and Ian Quigley were invited to participate in a joint investigation with Quantum Foundation at Larnach Castle at Easter 2022. We were staying on-site for two nights and investigating the Stables and the Castle grounds on the first night and the interior of the castle on the second night.
Our accommodation was at the reputedly haunted Stables, which is to the rear of the castle. As we were a large group we were able to book the entire building for ourselves.
The team flew down to Dunedin and met our fellow investigators at the Larnach Stables.
As we had arrived quite early and had time to spare before we were due to commence our joint investigation, we were able to spend a couple of hours at the Larnach Family tomb at the Northern Cemetery. There we held several communication sessions and explored the beautiful historic graves in the surrounding area. After dinner in town, we later met the Quantum team back at the Stables.
With the two teams involved we were a large group of 11 investigators so commenced our investigation by forming small groups of three and four, and each group was then assigned a different area to start their investigation from. Each of the areas was a good distance away from the next to avoid contaminating each other’s audio and video recordings. One group began in the Stables, another at the front stairs of the castle and the last group at the entrance gate area. Each group had around an hour in their assigned area before moving on. In this way each investigator covered all areas of interest.
During this phase of the investigation team members attempted communications with any possible spirits present, tried to elicit a response or a reaction (either spoken or with sounds or movement) from any spirits which may have been present.. They also explored areas where paranormal activity had been reported in the past and attempted to recreate those occurrences. As well each group monitored emf and temperature readings while taking video and voice recordings. EDI+ Data loggers were also used to log the atmospheric conditions, vibrations, emf and temperature readings in each area. Where appropriate we used motion sensors and shadow detection equipment.
Outdoors, Garden and the Grounds:
Unfortunately, due to the extremely windy weather conditions the outdoor sessions were not particularly successful. We did get some interesting emf readings and heard what sounded like footsteps several times on the gravel path at the bottom of the front stairs, however due to the sound of the nearby foliage moving in the wind we were unable to get a clear recording of these footsteps. We did also note some odd interference which we initially found initially intriguing however, this was soon debunked as being connected to our walkie talkie radios. Upon review we were unable to hear anything unusual on our recordings and our video showed nothing we could not explain.
The Stables:
Once inside the Stables the group I was with noted the sound of footsteps upstairs however the dvr cameras, along with the go pro camera and data logger that I had left upstairs indicated that there was no one upstairs at that time and there was nothing unusual happening regarding emf levels, temperature, vibration and atmospheric conditions. Around this time however, emf fluctuations were recorded with a range of 0 Mg to 18 mG in the downstairs TV Lounge. Later during a communication session in the TV Lounge, we heard a couple REM Pods which had been placed at different tables a short distance from each other going off in the dining room beside us. One would be triggered and then a couple of seconds later the next one would also be triggered. We added a further emf meter to our configuration and noted with interest that the third device placed on another nearby table also would go off a couple of seconds after the first two had. This occurred a few of times and it was of interest that there would be three devices go off in succession (as if whatever was triggering them was moving around the area).
Later as some of the investigators were heading off to their rooms for the night one of the group had a very strange experience whilst in the bathroom. The investigator concerned had been sitting in the toilet cubicle when she stated that she heard a bang on the toilet door followed by the unlocked door opening sharply as if it was kicked open from the outside. She immediately sprang up and out of the cubicle with a few choice words said. I was close to the toilets when that occurred, and I heard two definite bangs just before I heard the investigator yell. Other investigators in the area at the time also reported hearing a bang (as if the door was hit or kicked)followed by the bang of the hitting the wall, followed by the investigator exiting the door quickly while exclaiming loudly. Audio recorders in the area also recorded this unusual event. After this occurrence I placed an audio recorder and motion sensor camera to monitor the bathroom overnight, and while the camera did not pick up anything noteworthy, I did capture an interesting evp in the early morning hours (see video for evps).
Findings at The Stables:
The investigation of the Stables was very interesting. We appear to have caught several sound anomalies which we were unable to explain at the time and can be heard on our video of the investigation. The footsteps heard overhead while no one was upstairs were interest especially as the Quantum team reported that their video taken upstairs not only recorded the footsteps we heard, but also what sounded like a large piece of furniture being moved! (This was not heard by the team members downstairs at the time, nor the recorder and video cam that had been placed in the upstairs bathroom following the “toilet door” incident. Towards the end of our session, we were joined by one of the other groups who had decided that it was too windy outside for any successful investigating and it was at this time that we caught an unusual sound anomaly which sounded like a woman yelling at us from a distance. This anomaly was not heard at the time and it was only upon reviewing that we found it.
Monday 18 April 2022
Members of both teams spent the day exploring the castle, the ballroom, the garden and the grounds. We interviewed several staff members and familiarized ourselves with the layout of the castle in readiness for the upcoming investigation. We spent time enjoying a good lunch and great coffee in what was the castles ballroom but now houses the café. Later both teams met back at the Stables where we ensured that our equipment was charged and ready for the upcoming castle investigation. Plans were made and discussions had regarding the logistics of conducting a paranormal investigation in one building with many investigators.
That night, following an absolutely amazing dinner served “house party style” in the castle dining room, we commenced our investigation. of the castle. The two teams worked in four groups and moved around the castle in “round robin” style with each group having around half an hour at a time to investigate key areas of the building.
Static equipment (audio recorders, video cameras, EDI+’s, Rem Pods and motion sensors) were placed strategically around the castle with each investigator taking their personal equipment with them as we investigated areas of interest.
The ballroom was set up with laser grids covering most of the floor and walls towards the rear of the vast room and both teams joined together for a group communication session. There were several sound anomalies heard however these were soon debunked as a fridge in the servery area shuddering as it turned on and off.
Upon returning from the ballroom to the castle via a hallway one of the Paranormal Researchers team claimed to have smelt “a wet dog” odour which had not been there earlier. As a result, the group decided to try a communication session there as we knew that there had been reports of an apparition of a man with a dog seen in several areas around the castle. The team attempted to make contact a dog and encouraged it to jump up, play, bark and generally interact with us. Interestingly we although we did not seem to get any interactions with a dog during this session, we did have an indication that there were spikes in emf at the other end of the hallway and at around the same time an audio recorder picked up a man shouting (as if in the distance). Towards the end of this session a member of another team also reported that she could smell dog.
We continued our “round-robin” type investigation, and our group spent time in the hallway outside the main dining room, in William Larnachs bed chamber, in what had been Mary’s (Williams second wife’s) room and on the stairs and landing outside the bedrooms. We attempted communication sessions and encouraged any possible spirits present to speak into our recorders, make a noise or knock or to move something to alert us to their presence. In what had been Mary’s bedroom we placed a bottle of wine and a glass as she was apparently known for enjoying a drink. We left an audio recorder in the room and a video camera aimed at these trigger objects to attempt to capture any interaction with the objects. For the most part the investigation of these areas was uneventful although there were some interesting emf fluctuations noted on the landing. These were picked up by two EDI+’s which had been placed a few meters apart.
Findings at the Castle:
We may have caught a couple of sound anomalies while at the Castle. One was a man shouting and the other was a growl. Both possible evps can be heard in our Paranormal Researchers video on Larnach Castle. There were some fluctuations in emf levels around the same time a loud bump was recorded in Eliza’s bedroom which was only a few meters away. At the time when the investigators were downstairs and well away from the area.
Conclusion:
This was a very interesting investigation. At both Larnach Castle and the Stables we did witness events which made us wonder what may be occurring and did record some sound anomalies which could possibly be evps. Although we did not capture that ever-elusive “proof of the paranormal” we did very much enjoy the privilege of joining with The Quantum Foundation to investigate this iconic New Zealand landmark. We’d also like to thank the management and staff of Larnach Castle for allowing the investigation and for talking so candidly about the stories of the building and grounds, and their own personal experiences while working there. We look forward to returning there in the future and encourage our followers to visit this world-renowned New Zealand tourist attraction.
Paranormal Researchers video of our investigation at Larnach Castle can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/paranormalresearchersnz/videos/631222609621845
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