As a country New Zealand, missed out on the Norman invasion, knights in shining armour and medieval siege warfare, but it does have a strong interest in and love of castles. The backdrop is there, but the crumbling ruins aren't - even though you'd swear the fantasy castles of Sir Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films are part of the countryside.
New Zealand's fascination with battlements, turrets, drawbridges and moats has a relatively long history.
Dunedin's Larnach Castle, built in 1871, started a minor trend for mock castles in New Zealand. Photo / Dean Purcell
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Dunedin’s Larnach Castle, built in 1871 was the first. Settler merchant and politician William Larnach commissioned 200 men to build the castle shell in stone (it took three years), then European craftsmen took another 12 years to finish the interior with Italian marble, Welsh slate, Venetian and French glass as well as New Zealand native woods. The property still runs as an important tourist attraction for the city, with stables converted for backpacker accommodation (just like real serfs).
Auckland’s Milford beach is home to a crenellated mock-Scottish castle, built in 1924 of local basalt stone.
But there’s been a recent wave of castles that show modern-day Kiwis have a strong urge to live the medieval dream. The 1970s-built Castle Glatisaunt in Wellington sold earlier this year for an undisclosed sum while New Zealander Dot Smith made the headlines in 2016 after completing her six-year challenge to build a stone castle in Oamaru.
There's even a modern castle, complete with turrets, featuring in this year's Grand Designs show.
For those not ready to commit to a lifetime's build, we’ve found several castles for sale on OneRoof:
The South Island Norman outpost
The rolling country of Sefton, about 40 minutes out of Christchurch, is home to two country house castles.
Property Broker’s Aaron Clark is marketing a Norman-meets-Gothic castle spreading over 453 sq m on Douds Road. Built by a young couple in the early 2000s, and owned by the current vendors for 16 years, the house has massive gables and corbels, archways, parapets and a watchtower that houses the striking entrance and circular stair of wrought iron and timber.
Architect Dean Buckeridge and interior designer Kate Senior did some pretty thorough research on styles and trims, while the original owner did all the plastering himself. Concrete block with rough cast finish may be more modern than medieval, but the oiled macrocarpa beams and gothic-style entry doors and hand-forged steel candelabra use ancient techniques.
Clark points to the castle’s eco-cred with energy efficiency, double-glazed windows and a gas fire in the giant fireplace, as well as high tech kitchen features. Instead of a moat, there’s a swimming pool, and garages and sheds for the modern steeds, not stables. The 4 hectare property in the rolling Ashley downs has views to the Port Hills. Clark suggests a price range of $1.35 to $1.4 million.
Check out the listing below:
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The Sefton estate
Across the same rolling Sefton countryside, Bayleys agent Chris Jones is marketing the magnificent Stamford estate. Built by an Asia-based English couple, the property was designed by British restoration architect out of concrete with Oamaru stone trim. The brief to make the house look as if it was a heritage house that had been added to over the years, rather than built in 2003.
Its historical looks wraps a 15th century-look crenellated tower with a Georgian-style mansion, a Victorian-style orangery added to overlook the terraced gardens and the rolling 45 hectare grounds.
Jones says that the owners, who are selling because they use the house only a few weeks each year, searched the world for the right combination of rolling country side and a view of the ocean. The area is 10 minutes from Rangiora, 30 minutes to Christchurch airport, so access was easy for the owners to fly in and out.
The house has numerous receptions rooms, a stylish kitchen, a library panelled with kauri and gym, as well as six bedrooms and five bathrooms. Jones expects it to sell for over $3 million.
Check out the listing below:
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Turrets in Remuera
In Remuera, Auckland a double brick house of over 440 sq m has its own turret, chateaux-style stained glass and a sweeping central staircase. Built in the 1970s by the Englishman who also crafted the miniature castle/dairy/café at Mangatawhiri, sadly now shuttered, the house was thoroughly modernised by the current owners.
Now clean plastering and modern flooring replace the slightly mad English pub vibe of the original, but the beautifully crafted stair case, baronial fireplace, Juliet balconies and parquet floors remain. Add in outdoor living room, swimming pool and spa, tennis court and lush lawns and the castle-meets-city retreat is complete.
The property is marketed by Ricky Cave and Jayne Kiely of Ray White Remuera, and has a council valuation of $6 million.
Check out the listing below:
