Some guests are relieved to learn that their rooms aren，t actually in the castle， says Sophie Barker， whose family currently owns the property and who admits to having had her own eerie experiences in the castle. Guests are accommodated in the separate Larnach Lodge， built in 1982， which has 12 individually decorated rooms with panoramic views of the harbor. Breakfast is available in the adjacent converted stable， but guests may arrange to have dinner in the castle dining room.
While lodge guests receive complimentarycomplimentary adj.问候的， 称赞的， 夸奖的， 免费赠送的 admission to the castle， casual visitors must pay an entrance fee. Many visitors drop by just to stroll through the extensive garden， which is the personal creation of Margaret Barker， Sophie，s mother. Margaret also maintains a plant nursery where she grows plants for restocking the grounds and for sale. For those wanting refreshment， the ballroom now contains tearooms serving a light lunch plus morning and afternoon tea.
History
In 1967 the Barker family purchased Larnach Castle. Margaret Barker remembers the dreadfuldreadful adj.可怕的， <口>讨厌的 state the buildings and grounds were in. The Ballroom had been used to pen sheep， the Castle was empty of furniturefurniture n.家具， 设备， 储藏物， leaking like a sieve， in a terrible state of disrepair and the grounds were very overgrown. When the bought the Castle many people thought (and told them！) that they were crazy to take on such a mammoth and to them apparently impossible task.
Now Larnach Castle is once again Dunedin，s premier landmark， hosting guests from all over the world. From a run down building the family have created a diversified business， saved a major part of Dunedin，s heritage and contributed a huge amount to the local tourism industry
Visitors can enjoy exploring the Castle and the beautiful gardens， now an attraction in their own right. Original antiques grace the building and the family has amassedamass vt.收集， 积聚(尤指财富) a unique collection of New Zealand furniture. A Lodge with individually decorated theme rooms has been built so that guests may stay on the property， waking up to spectacular views. The Stables have been restored and have bedrooms with share bathrooms. Guests can experience sleeping quarters a lot more comfortable than Larnach，s stable boys did 130 years ago！
The Ballroom is again host to many glittering occasions. Conference dinners with Victorian or Scottish themes， grand balls， celebrationscelebration n.庆祝， 庆典 of landmark events...
The Barker family， Margaret and her children Sophie and Norcombe， celebrated 37 years of living at the Castle in 2004. They，ve lived there longer than the original Larnach family and will continue to lavish the care and attention that this wonderful building deserves...As Margaret Barker says “The Castle has a fate of its own and we are mere caretakers in the meantime”.
Many projects are always being planned and achieved. In 2001 a new “Stairway to History” and two new museum rooms with a new introductory video were opened. A “South Seas Walkway” was also opened by the Mayor of Dunedin at a garden party during the Rhododendron festival. Opened in 2003 was “Constances Boudoir”， a Victorian Lady，s Boudoir
The Sky Tower
天空塔
天空塔（Sky Tower）建于1996年，是迄今为止南半球最高的建筑，塔高328米。塔上有多层观景台，设有高倍望远镜可以方便游客观赏奥克兰的全景，还有多种语言的广播服务和交互式科技设备，以及视听展览。在高塔上感受居高临下的感觉，了解奥克兰的风情，确实有些乐在其中的感觉。
奥克兰天空塔位于奥克兰市维多利亚街和联邦街之间。每年约有近百万旅客来此旅游。游客乘电梯仅需40秒即可至主观景台观赏奥克兰市全景，游客还可鼓起勇气站在玻璃地板上观赏足下的风景。主观景台内设有电脑，游客可使用它们检索相关景点的资料。天空城设有旋转餐厅，用餐时，奥克兰全景可一一展现在眼前。
建造天空塔使用了15 000立方米水泥，2660吨钢铁，地基深达15米。天空塔高度安全，可抵抗每小时200公里的强风。分析表明，如在距天空塔40公里的地方发生7级地震，天空塔基本不会遭到破坏；如在距它20公里的地方发生8级地震，天空塔仍将耸立。
The Sky Tower is a tower located on the corner of Victoria and Federal streets in the central business district of Auckland， New Zealand
From ground level to the top of the mast it is 328 metres tall， making it the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere. The landmark is a part of the SKYCITY Auckland casinocasino n.娱乐场(供表演跳舞、赌博的地方)， (=cassino)一种由二至四人玩的纸牌游戏 complex， owned and operated by SKYCITY Entertainment Group.
After two and a half years of construction the tower was opened on March 3， 1997. During construction 150，000 cubic metres of concrete， 2，000 tonnes of reinforcing steel and 660 tonnes of structural steel were used to build the tower. The mast itself weighs more than 170 tonnes.
As well as being used for observation and amusement， the tower is used for telecommunicationstelecommunication n.电讯， 长途通讯， 无线电通讯， 电信学 and broadcasting. The upper portion of the tower contains two restaurants and various observation decks.
It is the 12th tallest member of the World Federation of Great Towers.
At the time of its completion it was the tallest structure in the country and the tallest building in the southern hemisphere. While from a distance the tower appears to be a smooth eversoslight curve into the sky， a closer
inspection shows that it sports eight verticalvertical adj.垂直的， 直立的， 顶点的， ［解］头顶的 n.垂直线， 垂直面， 竖向 ribs at the bottom. These legs help support the tower and disperse both weight and the force of wind. If the wind blows too hard in one particular direction， concrete collars spread the stress around for the other legs to absorb. Further up the tower are the main facilities most people will use： Three observation decks plus restaurants and other amenitiesamenities n.令人愉快之事物， and broadcasting facilities for radio， television， and other communications links. Many of the antennae are hidden inside the steel tube that makes up the tower，s mast. Others ring the top of the pod like a crown. In case of an emergency， there is a refuge level in the lower section of the pod， and one of the elevator shafts is fireproofedfireproof adj.耐火的， 防火的 vt.使防水， 使耐火.