To / From Middlemarch

The quickest way to reach Middlemarch is by road from Dunedin via S/Highway 87. The road climbs rapidly over the hills from Outram, until you look out over the Strath Taieri valley, across dry hills, studded with large rocky schist rock

If you are travelling by road down the east coast of the South Island you can turn off at Palmerston and reach Middlemarch via the upper Strath Taieri. Either turn at Macraes Road (just beyond Dunback) for a more direct route to Middlemarch, or continue  on over the remote tussock-covered hills of the “Pig Root” (S/H 85). This was the historic “wagon trail of horror,” in the early days of exploration – stop for a break at Dead Horse Pinch memorial. Don’t worry – the road is now a cruisy highway. Turn again at Kyeburn to follow the highway down the Taieri river to Middlemarch.