The byre at the former Larnach farmstead

I spent a good part of the day exploring the tracks around the Hereweka property near Harbour Cone on the Otago Peninsula. I walked up and down hills, climbed over and under things, took wrong turns, stepped over and in sheep poo and generally rather enjoyed myself. At one point I considered climbing the summit of Harbour Cone but at the last minute thought better of it. 

The whole area and a substantial block of land beyond, was once purchased by William Larnach in the 1870’s where he eventually built his grand home (Castle) on a spot called Peggy’s Hill. Close by, Larnarch also established a substantial farm with a farmhouse overlooking a farmyard that featured an archway entrance, cow byre, stable and barn that created a square cobbled courtyard. The farmstead was a busy place, not only supplying goods to the Castle but it was home to a large selection of award winning livestock. After Larnach’s death in 1898 his son Douglas broke up and sold off large parts of the estate to local landowners.

Nowadays, all you’ll find remaining of the farmstead is the access road, the cow byre, a few stone walls and a chimney stack that was once part of the farm house. The stables were pulled down long ago while the barn collapsed after a landslip destroyed much of the foundations, the barn itself being dismantled sometime around 2018. If there’s one thing about the farmstead it is this, while the views from the former farmyard aren’t as impressive as up at the Castle, they are still fairly decent by anyone’s standard.