Timaru’s Claremont Castle takes centre stage in The Traitors NZ
Saturday, 22 June 2024
The historic 150-year-old Claremont Castle near Timaru will be the centrepiece of the second season of The Traitors NZ.
Filming for the television series, which is hosted by Paul Henry and broadcast on Three, was completed in April. The first episode is set to screen on July 1.
Henry said that while winter in Auckland could be awful, it was a wonderland in Timaru.
“It’s still hideously cold, but the countryside has a real place in winter,” he said.
“You know, the way the mist hangs low over the land, it’s spectacular, it’s fresh, it’s rewarding.”
Henry said the castle at the foot of Mt Horrible, 14km west of Timaru, was the perfect venue for a game of deceit and murder.
“It has the energy of The Traitors. Just as The Traitors is dark and mysterious, this property and its past at times has been dark and definitely mysterious.“
Series producer Charlotte Hobson said the team had been looking for a special place when a location scout found Castle Claremont online.
“As soon as we started looking at the region and surrounding spots where we could film missions, there was no doubt that Timaru had everything we were looking for and more,” she said.
“Now that the series is in the edit suite and we’re seeing all these remarkable locations come to life, we couldn’t be more thrilled with our decision to base the series there.”
South Pacific Pictures joined forces with the Timaru District Council and Venture Timaru to bring the production to the region.
Timaru mayor Nigel Bowen said it had been a pleasure to welcome the cast and crew to the district.
“The team working on the show were really positive about how helpful the community had been to the production and how great it was to film here,” he said.
“As well as bringing lots of people to town, the production also gave a number of local people the opportunity to work on a major television show, which was great experience for them.
“While the show highlights the dark, spooky and devilish deeds at the bottom of Mt Horrible, it also showcases some of our amazing landscapes and is a major opportunity for an international audience to see what a great place this is.
“The American and British versions of the show have made a small Scottish village famous, so we could be next.”
Construction of the castle, which has 14 bedrooms, began in 1884 and it carries a historic places category 2 listing with Heritage New Zealand.
The 11.63-hectare property, which also boasts five bathrooms, is currently for sale.
Venture Timaru chief executive Nigel Davenport said the agency and the council had “really enjoyed” working with the production company and “helping make sure all involved enjoyed their stay in Timaru”.
“It was great also that a number of locals were able to work with South Pacific Pictures and experience TV production firsthand.”
The second season includes 22 “everyday New Zealanders” trying to win up to $100,000.