Strath Taieri

Strath Taieri is a large glacial valley and river plateau in New Zealand's South Island. It is surrounded by the rugged hill ranges to the north and west of Otago Harbour. Since 1989 it has been part of the city of Dunedin. The small town of Middlemarch is located at its southern end.

The name is a hybrid word, from Strath (anglicised Irish and Scots Gaelic srath), meaning a broad river valley, and the Māori name Taieri  pronunciation  (traditional spelling Taiari) of the river which runs through it.

There are Archaic (moa hunter) Māori sites on Strath Taieri, also downstream on the Taieri Gorge and at Deep Stream and Rocklands on the adjacent plateau to the south. A principal Māori route from the coast to the interior lay along the valley. A cave was found in the district with its entrance blocked containing the bodies of a Māori woman and child. It is not clear if they were trapped deliberately or by accident. The remains have been associated with the later Classic period of which type there are several sites in the area. There are rock shelters with mostly domestic articles, wooden bowls, material for garments and gear for hunting weka or fishing.Charles Kettle saw the area from the top of Maungatua in 1847 and was impressed by the land's pastoral potential.

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