When it comes to Larnach’s Castle, where do you start? It could be with the fact that it’s not a castle at all, or it could be with the castle rumoured to be haunted by William Larnach himself or even the story of the rise and fall of William Larnach as a businessman in Otago. He rose to prominence as a banker at the time of the gold rush and went on to have many successes in politics, business and other industries before losing much of his fortune and falling on harder times. He built a grand house on the Otago Peninsula, was married three times, had six children and finally committed suicide in Parliament in Wellington via a gun in 1898. The tragedy even had its own intriguing twist with details pointing towards the tragedy resulting from an affair between Larnach’s third wife Constance and his youngest son Douglas.
The other month I went for a wander and explore at the Harington Point gun emplacements on Otago Peninsula. The site was first constructed in response to the threat of a Russian invasion in 1885 following Anglo–Russian tensions in Afghanistan. Anyway, while I was there, after scrambling up and down banks and pushing through gorse, I found one of the buildings that leads to a stairwell. From that point, it accesses other parts of the complex including subterranean communications tunnels, bunkers, observation points and a magazine and engine room.
Back in my younger days, when I was a lot less worldly and knowledgeable than I am now, I never liked spending time at a Botanical Garden. I simply couldn’t see the point. Why on earth would I want to spend time walking around looking at plants! Now, many years later I’ve come to truly appreciate a slow, quiet amble in a peaceful, tranquil setting. One such location is the Mediterranean Garden at the Dunedin Botanical Gardens. I think it’s the view I like best. Although, I always seem to get slightly lost finding it and never fail to take a wrong turn upon leaving.
The previous evening a wonderful and very impressive thunder storm passed over the city. At some point it was accompanied with heavy rain and a great deal of wind. The next morning, while the thunder and lightning had passed, a set of heavy, dark clouds was left hanging over the city. The forecast for the day involved an awful lot of wind, more rain and a high of 10 or 11 degrees. Perfect conditions for those heading to the Pink concert that evening.
On Monday afternoon I took a detour via the Otago Peninsula on the way home. It had been a fairly responsible day, weather wise that is. However around 4pm a large set of dark, heavy clouds started to roll in over Dunedin City from a south westerly direction. It was the kind of weather system that foretold of more ominous things to come in the way of wind, thunder, lightning and a lot of rain!
If we’re being precise, this location isn’t actually Ross Creek Reservior. It’s just across the road near the northern entrance on Booth, Tanner and Wakari Roads. It does have a name, but I simply can’t remember it. The only things my notes say for this shot/day are ‘rocks are slippery when wet’ and ‘remember tripod next time.’ Clearly it was a day when I was thinking with great clarity and insight at my contemplative, psychological best.
I ended up spending a delightful afternoon wading in rock pools at Blackhead Beach, just south of Dunedin. It was one of those warm, still, late summer days that reminded me with autumn on the horizon, days like this will be less and less common. So it was, I spent a few hours stumbling over stones and sploshing through rock pools as seaweed gently drifted on the tide. I have to admit, there’s something delightfully delicious about wading through rock pools in your bare feet on a warm afternoon.
This is another mystery location that I’m not 100% sure of. I’m thinking it’s Carey’s Creek which is north of Dunedin and runs near the Silver Peaks area through to Evandale Glen and out to the coast, I believe. I recall while detouring slightly off the track and coming across a sign that warned of hunters operating in the area. It got me wondering if I should be more worried about being attacked by wild animals or shot by the hunters who were hunting them. Either way, it was a lovely afternoon.
After passing through Outram Glen, the town of Outram and ambling across the Taieri Plains, the Taieri River arrives at Henley. At Henley, the river merges with the Waipori River which then flows to Taieri Mouth. In the early days of Otago, as settlers were pushing inland searching for gold, there used to be a river barge at Henley. It took travellers and their belongings across the river as they headed into the gold fields of the Tuapeka and the Dunstan.
Speaking of the Taieri River, as far as rivers go, only three in Aotearoa are longer! It starts from seemingly nowhere in the Lammerlaw Range and flows north, then east, then south-east on its 288 kilometre journey to the sea at Taieri Mouth. It passes through at least six towns, two gorges, it links with two lakes, the fish are plentiful, there are some lovely picnic spots along its banks and it is part of the fabric of the farming community. So, with all that in mind, I thought I’d follow it through various photos I’ve taken with different cameras.
About 28 kilometres west of central Dunedin on the edge of the Taieri Plains is the town of Outram and the popular swimming spot of Outram Glen. It sits close to the foot of Maungatua Hill Range and the banks of the Taieri River.
This is the upstairs of the grand, stately home of Olveston here in Dunedin. It was built between 1904 and 1907 for wealthy English merchant David Theomin who wanted to create an English country house in the city for his wife Marie and their two children Edward and Dorothy. Olveston was a family home from the time it was built in 1906 until 1966 when Dorothy, the last remaining member of the family, passed away. It was then bequeathed to the City of Dunedin and opened to the public the following year.
This is a large scale panorama of Aramoana Beach. It’s actually made up of 17 photos that shows the entire length of the beach, the mole, Taiaroa Head and part of the harbour. To get this, I had to climb up to the top of a very large dune and then up a few rocks to a point that provided clear views in either direction. Yet, somehow coming down seemed trickier than getting up there!
The other month when I was out on the Otago Peninsula I spent a day exploring the Harington Point Battery gun emplacements on the Otago Peninsula. Originally built in response to the threat of a Russian invasion in the 1880’s, the site was added to when World War 1, then World War 2 broke out. It’s a fun place to wander around, even if it does require a little scrambling up and down banks, pushing through overgrown gorse bushes and stepping over empty spray cans.
I do love the Highcliff Track on the Otago Peninsula. It’s a glorious place that leads to so many other tracks and that you can be spoilt for choice. My favourite route is to make my way down McMeeking Road before linking up with the Highcliff Track and continuing on down to Boulder Beach and returning via the Paradise Road Track, up to Highcliff Road. Of course, if you’re feeling adventurous and energetic, instead of going up the Paradise Track there is always the option of heading over to Sandfly Bay. If you find yourself heading that way, make sure you allow yourself some time to take in the view from the Highcliff Track looking down to Boulder Beach and out over the Peninsula. It really is stunning.
166 Portobello Road, aka The White House, aka The Waverly House, aka The Dandie Dinmont was constructed in 1880 for businessman and politician William Larnach. Designed by Dunedin architectural firm Mason and Wales, the building was intended to be a hotel with transport across the harbour being by way of a harbour steamer. However, due to an economic depression and the failure of the steamer service, along with the building failing to get a liquor licence it was instead used as a stopover for guests travelling to Larnach’s Castle further down the Peninsula. William Larnach eventually lost interest in the venture and after the death of his first wife, he started to focus his attention on other projects.
One of the places I visited recently was Taieri Mouth, a small fishing village at the mouth of the Taieri River. There are a number of walking tracks there, one of which is the Taieri River track. The track passes through forest that arrives at the John Bull Gully picnic area. From there, if you’re feeling energetic you can continue further to Taieri Ferry Road, near Henley.
While I was at the Dunedin Gasworks Museum the forge was working which was surprisingly interesting. I really didn’t think much of it when I was told it was operating at reception, however it was fascinating to see. After several minutes I decided that it isn’t often you see something made from a lot of heat and physical labour these days. Also, on a side note the gasworks are the oldest in the country being the first in New Zealand and also the last to cease production operating from 1863 – 1987.
So my tour of Dunedin in film presets ends at the famous Dunedin Railway Station, finished in the famous Kodachrome 64. Known for its fine grain, sharpness and colour the history and reputation of Kodachrome films is legendary.
It was a lovely afternoon as I arrived in Aramoana, a small coastal settlement on the western side of the entrance to Otago Harbour. I spent the afternoon walking along the beach, climbing over rocks, up sand dunes and enjoying the local wildlife. This photo that I took overlooking the beach, the mole and beyond to Taiaroa Head was finished with a black and white film preset called Retro 80s that was made by the Rollei company.
The Rollei company was founded by Paul Franke and Reinhold Heidecke in Braunschweig, Germany in 1920. Their vision was to create a new type of roll film for cameras. Over the preceding years the company grew until eventually acquiring a worldwide reputation. In the 1950s and 1960s it became a high-quality brand with a unique photographic style. In 2009 they released the Retro 80s film which quickly became one of the favourite black and white films for international photographers.
I continued on my journey to the Dunedin Botanic Gardens where I spent a few hours wandering the various trails, paths and walkways. This photo from my walk was recreated with the Kodak Royal Gold 400 film. The Kodak Royal Gold 400 film was promoted as the world’s finest grain, 400-speed colour print film. It was stated to provide a balance between fine grain, sharpness, and colour for exposure in daylight or with flash.
My next stop on my tour of Dunedin was the Dunedin Gasworks Museum and that’s where I headed now. Located in South Dunedin, it is one of only three known preserved gaswork museums in the world which makes it a significant heritage site. The gasworks which operated from 1863 to 1987, were New Zealand’s first and last gasworks.
This photo of the Dunedin Gasworks Museum is made from a Kodak Elite 100 film preset. In the late 1980’s and into the 1990’s the cross-processing of negative films came into fashion. The cross-processing of film came about by intentionally processing film in the wrong chemicals to create interesting and sometimes unpredictable shifts in colour and contrast. In this process a colour slide film could be developed as if it were a colour negative film and vice-versa. One of these films was the Kodak Elite 100.
Next, I called in to the Otago Museum for a look around where I took this image. I finished with a recreation of the Fujifilm Superia 200 film. The Fujifilm Superia 200 first appeared on shop shelves in the 1990’s. This was a very popular film and was a great starting point for photographers due to its ease of use. It worked well outdoors in daylight and indoors with flash. The Superia 200 featured enhanced colour reproduction, sharpness, fine grain and a green base with tinges of blues and reds. Before the digital age when film was still king, Fuji Superia 200 was the great competitor to the Kodak Gold range.
Next stop is the historic home of Olveston. Located near the inner city of Dunedin, the large Jacobean style home was built for David Theomin and his family between 1904 and 1907. This is the dining room of the grand house finished in the Polaroid 669 film.
The history of the Polaroid camera is really interesting. So, I might save the details and write more in depth another time. In brief, it was invented in 1943 by American Edwin Land. Initially, a Polaroid photo was created in monochrome but evolved into colour in 1963 when Polacolor was invented. Over the preceding years, many models of the Polaroid were designed and so films for the camera changed accordingly. One of those was the Polaroid 669 which produced a photo print in 8 x 10cm.
Today my photographic tour of Dunedin using colour film presets stops off at Toitu Early Settlers Museum. While I was there, I took this photo of the train Josephine which started life on the Dunedin-Port Chalmers Railway in 1872. This image is finished with settings that create the Ektachrome Infrared EIR E6 film. When it was manufactured, it was one of the standard colour infrared films of its time which created a dramatic red look in photos. The film, which was made in small batches and was discontinued in 2010 due to declining sales.
This is the legendary Speight’s Brewery in Rattray Street, Central Dunedin. In 1876, James Speight, Charles Greenslade and William Dawson set-up their brewery on this location where it has been based ever since. In 1880, Speight’s won a gold medal at an International Exhibition in Australia which started the brand, Speight’s Gold Medal Ale.
The effect for this photo was recreated for a forgotten film in history called GAF 500. It was a very grainy film from the 1960’s and 1970’s. The GAF company began in 1886 as the Standard Paint Company of New Jersey and after several amalgamations in 1928 they changed their name to General Aniline & Film—GAF for short. In 1967, GAF introduced a revolutionary new 35mm high-ISO film called GAF 500. At the time the GAF 500 was twice as fast as any other film on the market. It was a film that customers either loved or hated.
My journey around Dunedin in film presets brings us to the University of Otago in Agfacolor Neu. I was hoping for a nice bright blue sky, however unfortunately the last few days have been very overcast and grey.
The Agfa company introduced the Agfacolor Neu film in 1936 for both amateur and professional photographers. The Agfacolor film was an early rival to the Kodak company as they competed to become the first to launch a method that would make colour photography with slides easy and cheap to use. Agfa Color Neu was the first commercially successful colour film that was accessible to mass audiences. In 1978, Agfa ceased production of colour film that was based upon the originally designed process used in the Agfacolor film.
Next stop on the tour of Dunedin, seen through early colour film is Tunnel Beach. The hidden beach is an amazingly popular spot for tourists. For this photo I used a preset based on the process called Autochrome. The early colour photography process of Autochrome was introduced by the Lumière brothers Auguste and Louis of France in 1907. In this process a colour image is created by combining microscopic layers of dyed potato starch grains on a glass plate.
And so to Taiaroa Head and the Harington Point Battery gun emplacements on Otago Peninsula. The site was first constructed in response to the threat of a Russian invasion in 1885 following Anglo–Russian tensions in Afghanistan. This led to the building of major fortifications along New Zealand’s coastline which included the Otago Peninsula.
This look was created from a more modern film that is currently available from the CineStill company. Based in Los Angeles and founded in 2012, CineStill sells a range of photographic film, one of which is a product called Redrum 200. Launched in October 2021, Redrum film is a redscale, reverse-rolled exposure base film that produces red, yellow, and orange toned images. Only available in limited edition runs in the 120 Medium format for Halloween, it is only sold in individual rolls and sells out incredibly quickly.
As I move through a photographic tour of Dunedin using colour film presets we come to Larnach Castle. So, I thought I’d show you another image from a Kodacolor preset. Kodacolor was made by the Kodak company, it was introduced in 1942 and was the first colour negative film for making colour prints. Originally, Kodacolor was sold with the cost of processing the film included, prints having to be ordered separately. Colour prints quickly became the amateur and social photographers medium of choice with the prints being stored in photo albums. However, prints that were left out and exposed to light quickly faded. The production of Kodacolor ended in 1963 when it was replaced with Kodacolor-X.
… from a Small City. My daily musings from Ōtepoti to get you inspired. Read the blog, view the photos, embrace the creativity.
error: This content is protected by copyright. If you wish to use an image you are required to make a purchase through the galleries.
Larnach’s Castle
Dunedin’s Mediterranean Garden 
The stately home of Olveston
Harington Point Gun Emplacements 
Boulder Beach from the Highcliff Track
The Dunedin Gasworks Forge
Toitu Museum in Ektachrome Infrared
