Work to build Mrs Smith's dream castle, complete with secret tunnel, drawbridge and moat, at Hilderthorpe, near Oamaru, began at the end of 2012, and yesterday she said although it was expected to be finished in a year's time, the project would not be rushed.
She said at present only one storey of the two-storey castle had been completed, but that included the secret tunnel entrance and ''the dungeon''.
''There is a lot to happen yet - there is still a hell of a lot of work to do,'' she said.
''They are doing all the little jobs at the moment, while they wait for the insulation and drainage to go up on the top, then they can pour the floor again and they will be away.''
Although the castle was first and foremost a ''home to live in'', she said she had been very surprised by the amount of interest the project had created.
Her attempt to build her own castle has been the subject of a television show, as well as numerous newspaper articles, and even a book.
''Never would I have imagined that. To me, I was just building a home.
''I think it is because most people don't follow their dreams.''
