You can now stay in a 107-year-old Kiwi ‘castle’

If the name of Central Otago’s newest stay, Earnscleugh Castle, evokes images of indulgent country manor holidays, then your imagination is on the money.

French antique beds, pre-dinner wine and charcuterie, croquet on the lawn and, should the mood take you, hand-feeding some extremely photogenic sheep await at this historic property, just outside Clyde, a historic gold mining town on New Zealand’s South Island.

The storied relic opens its doors as a luxury lodge this month following an $NZ11 million ($9.2 million) restoration that was featured on Grand Designs New Zealand.

And while its name suggests something rather medieval, Earnscleugh is actually a grand Jacobethan manor dating from 1919 and listed as a Category 1 Historic Place by Heritage New Zealand.

Its history is almost as colourful as its new incarnation. Earnscleugh was commissioned by sheep farmer Stephen Spain, who had made money tackling one of Central Otago’s great scourges: rabbits. His rabbit-canning factory, in Alexandra, at its peak, processed 15,000 rabbits a day for export, supplying meat to overseas troops, and employed more than 90 people.

Flush with wartime profits, Spain commissioned prominent Dunedin architect Edmund Anscombe to design a suitably impressive home. The resulting 21-room mansion, complete with three bathrooms, three storerooms and two sun balconies, was an extraordinary extravagance for its time. Heritage New Zealand describes it as a display of “conspicuous consumption”; locally it became known as “Spain’s folly”.

The name proved prescient. Hit by the post-World War I economic collapse and poor financial decisions, Spain was unable to finish his grand project.

More than a century later, Ryan Sanders and Marco Creemers bought the derelict property in 2022 and set about not only restoring it but completing Anscombe’s original vision. The four-year project included adding a formal dining room, library and ballroom while preserving the building’s heritage character.

The result is an adults-only bed and breakfast with individually styled rooms and suites in the main house and further accommodation in the restored Coach House.

The premium Spain Suite makes a persuasive case for upgrading. Named for the original owner, it has a carved French antique bed, rich blue interiors, bay windows and French doors that open to a western balcony with views towards the Fraser River and Old Man Range.

New Zealand is no stranger to unique lodge stays. In fact, no country in the southern hemisphere does it quite so well. Earnscleugh joins the likes of Otahuna Lodge near Christchurch, Huka Lodge in Taupo and Rosewood Cape Kidnappers in Hawke’s Bay in this rarefied space.

Bearing in mind this refined competition, Earnscleugh Castle has stepped up on the amenities front.

Guests have access to a swimming pool, sauna, spa and ice bath, while breakfast, evening house wine and pre-dinner charcuterie and canapes are included. There is croquet on the lawn – lessons at the ready – and guests can hand-feed the property’s Valais Blacknose sheep.

Then there’s Central Otago itself. Earnscleugh sits on about 12 hectares near Clyde, surrounded by the orchards, vineyards and dramatic, tussock-covered landscapes for which this part of the South Island is known.

The Central Otago wine region is particularly celebrated for pinot noir, while the Otago Central Rail Trail and Lake Dunstan Trail put some of the region’s finest scenery within cycling distance.

Those who prefer their indulgence without other people can take over the entire castle. Exclusive use accommodates up to 14 guests in seven en suite rooms, with the Coach House increasing capacity to 20. A private chef, driver and even helicopter transfers can be arranged.

For the ultimate wellness retreat, Earnscleugh will launch its own seven-day program, Sanctum 7, in November. Limited to 12 guests, the retreat combines functional testing with tailored vegetarian and juice programs, yoga, breath work, sound healing, ice baths, IV drips and daily immersion in the estate’s grounds.

It’s potentially a happy chapter for a house that spent much of its first century unfinished – Earnscleugh Castle finally gets to be the very grand place it was designed to be.

Rooms from $NZ899 ($751) a night in low season, including breakfast, evening house wine, charcuterie and canapes and use of the wellness facilities. A two-night minimum generally applies.

Exclusive use of the castle starts from $NZ9999 ($8356) a night, with a three-night minimum stay. See earnscleughcastle.co.nz; sanctum7.co