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Larnach's end

© Philippa Jane Ballantine

The Larnach tale could and perhaps should have ended there in prosperity, but even with the crowning achievement of his great house, fate would not be kind to William Larnach.

The bills from not only the building of the castle, but also the constant stream of money required to keep it going, might have crippled a less wealthy man. The early years following it construction however were idyllic ones, when Larnach's fortunes were at their peak and William still had the time to spend with his family.

That too would change. Like many other ambitious men, his eyes turned to parliament. Initially these ambitions were not entirely selfless. Larnach had invested in, amongst other things a block of land the Waimea plains. This area would have been highly profitable were it not for a rather unfortunate plague of rabbits, which had turned the plains into pot holes. Seeing his profits disappearing Larnach realized he needed government help, and there was no one better suited to getting what he needed from them- than himself.

William made no bones of it, he went to the capital Wellington, to aid his private interests, but equally he felt that it was his duty as a businessman to do so. This was in the days before parliamentarians were paid anything for their time spent in government. Although initially unsuccessful in getting elected, Larnach was in 1872 elected as one of the members for Dunedin. So leaving his wife and children at the Camp, William made for Wellington.

In the capital he became known for his flamboyance, riding his large white stallion about town dressed in his own inimitable style. While he was no great orator, William was none the less a thoughtful speaker. And despite his own interests, he tried to do what he thought was right. In his time in government he raised the issue of giving a parliamentary honorarium, meaning those not independently wealthy might be able to join in the processes of democracy.

The Waimea plains were hanging around William's neck, and in 1877 he planned on selling the area, divided up into small blocks in London. He had the theory that small runholders would be better able to control the rabbits.

In 1877 the feeble Atkinson government dissolved after a motion of no confidence, and Sir George Grey and William became the leaders of a new government. Grey was a complex man, with a passion for rooting out corruption (particularly among the land speculators).

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