Otago’s Larnach Castle called ‘overpriced’ by USA Today but owner says it’s a good thing

Larnach Castle boasts magnificent colonial neo-gothic architecture and exceptional internal timber work. Sunday Travel 7 Nov 2021 NZH 07Nov21 -

Larnach Castle has been labelled an overpriced “tourist trap” by USA Today - but the Otago Peninsula attraction’s owner is looking on the bright side.

The US news publication, which has more than 2 million daily readers, released a series of lists ranking the world’s most overpriced and overrated tourist attractions.

Using the terms “tourist trap”, “expensive” and “overrated”, it searched through 23.2 million Google reviews from the top 500 tourist attractions worldwide.

According to the article, Larnach Castle ranked 17th in the top 100 most overpriced attractions and 94th in the top 100 tourist traps.

Castle managing director Norcombe Barker insisted the attraction was good value for money, but was thrilled with the international exposure, saying it was “a real feather in the cap”.

Managing director of Larnach Castle Norcombe Barker focused instead on the fact that it was considered one of the top 500 attractions in the world.

“We’re actually thrilled about it.

“To have a Dunedin attraction rated as one of the top 500 attractions in the world by USA Today is quite a privilege really, so you know, we’ll take that.”

Among the castle’s 3890 Google reviews, 74 mentioned the term “expensive” and three mentioned the term “tourist trap”.

However, an examination by the Otago Daily Times of the castle’s reviews showed the term “expensive” was not always used negatively.

One Google reviewer stated: “Enjoy a not too expensive lunch in the ballroom/cafe”.

“Locals don’t come here because they think it’s expensive, but it’s cheaper than most European country houses,” another said.

“A little expensive, but worth every cent,” another said.

Larnach Castle is a must-visit on a long weekend in Dunedin.

Some reviews referred to the “expensive” costs as “money well spent”.

Barker said Larnach Castle took the notion of value for money seriously and worked hard to give visitors a good experience.

“People appreciate that they are paying for the restoration of the castle. Once they realise that, they actually say it is good value.”

Another Otago attraction, Puzzling World, in Wanaka, ranked 76th in the overpriced list.

Out of the attraction’s 4824 Google reviews, 44 mentioned the word “overpriced”.

Puzzling World could not be reached for comment yesterday.

This story originally appeared in the Otago Daily Times.