Middlemarch (New Zealand)

	Middlemarch
	Geographical location
Coordinates	45 ° 30 ′ S , 170 ° 7 ′ E Coordinates: 45 ° 30 ′ S , 170 ° 7 ′ E
Region ISO	NZ-OTA
Country	New Zealand
region	Otago
District	Dunedin City
Ward	Mosgiel - Taieri Ward
Residents	153 (2013)
height	200 m
Post Code	9597
Telephone code	+64 (0) 3
website	www.middlemarch.co.nz
	Photography of the place
	; Middlemarch Railway Station , the terminus of the Taieri Gorge Railway

St John's Presbyterian Church, built in 1895.

Middlemarch is a village in the urban area of Dunedin City in the Otago regionon the South Island of New Zealand .

geography

Middlemarch is located around 50 km northwest of Dunedin city center, in the middle of a wide former glacial valley called Strath Taieri . Embedded by the two mountain ranges of the Rock and Pillar Range in the west and the Taieri Ridge in the east, the place is located directly on the Taieri River . The most important traffic connection is the New Zealand State Highway 87 , which runs from north to south , on which the town of Hyde is located after about 25 kilometers to the north .

history

There is little evidence that before the European settlement in the region around today's Middlemarch , Māori had their camps for hunting. It was not until the mid-19th century were the first European settlers in the broad marshy valley of the Taieri River to land under cultivation to make and operate farm economy. The basis for this was laid by the surveyor and planner Charles Henry Kettle (1821–1862), who in 1847 was the first European to enter, explore and document the valley. This was followed by the prospectors who, after the gold rush in Otago (1861–1863), left their traces along the Rock and Pillar Range on their way through and looking for more gold . The first settlements emerged. The name Middlemarch probably originated from the combination of "middle" ( German : Mitte) and the Old English "march" ( German : mark (border, separation line)). But there are also other versions of this.

What is certain is that the origins of Middlemarch can be traced back to the Welshman Edward Wingfield Humphreys (1845-1892). Humphreys bought large parts of the swampy land in 1868 and named his land and residence, as in Wales, Garthmyl . The many workers on his large farm lived together in a settlement documented in 1880 as the privately owned Middlemarch Community . Humphreys left Garthmyl in 1885, went with his wife to Christchurch and in 1891 back to England , where he also died the following year. Garthmyl was auctioned off to several new owners on November 26, 1891 in Dunedin and Middlemarch was now a free parish.

With the construction of the Otago Central Railway from Wingatui ( Mosgiel ) near Dunedin to Middlemarch in 1879, the importance of the place was manifested, and with the opening in 1891 the influx of travelers was guaranteed. Four years later, in 1895, the statisticians recorded the success of the line with almost 2,500 passengers, 17,500 sheep and pigs transported and approx. 17,000 tons of goods moved. The railway line was extended to Cromwell from 1917 and then officially opened in 1921.

After passenger traffic on the section between Clyde and Cromwell was discontinued in 1980 due to the creation of the Clyde Dam, the remaining connection was closed on April 30, 1990 due to inefficiency .

Middlemarch had been economically and touristically connected to the railroad for over a century . What remained were the cold, snowy winters and the warm, dry summers of the Otago highlands and farming as a livelihood for the remaining people.

population

In the 2013 census, the town had 153 inhabitants, 8.9% fewer than in the 2006 census.

Middlemarch today

After the Wellington government decided to close the railway line to Middlemarch , Dunedin residents raised around NZ $ 1.2 million to allow the city to buy the 64 km stretch between Wingatui and Middlemarch .

In 1995 the City of Dunedin and the Otago Excursion Train Trust founded the Taieri Gorge Railway Limited and have since been successfully operating the Taieri Gorge Railway , which has become an integral part of Dunedin's tourist offer and lifted Middlemarch out of insignificance.

The old disused railway line from Middlemarch to Clyde is now popular with cyclists, with Middlemarch being the starting point and / or end point of the tour on the Otago Central Rail Trail . The only salt lake in New Zealand is often mentioned as a tourist attraction, the Sutton Salt Lake , which is located 6 km southeast of Middlemarch near State Highways 87 .

event

Middlemarch also has another very special attraction to offer. Every other year at Easter (2005, 2007, 2009, ...), the Singles Ball takes place in Middlemarch . The rush is large and the number of tickets is limited. Allegedly, singles from Germany should always be represented.

Sightseeing

Also worth seeing is the more than 100-year-old St John's Presbyterian Church , which was officially opened on May 12, 1895 and from where pastoral care was carried out for the entire Strath Taieri region .

literature

Helen M. Thompson : East of the Rock and Pillar . Otago Centennial Historical Publication . Whitcombe & Tombs , Dunedin 1949 (English).

Web links

Commons : Middlemarch - collection of images, videos and audio files

Explore Middlemarch - Inland Dunedin . Middlemarch,accessed August 7, 2017.
The History of the Taieri Gorge Railway . Taieri Gorge Limited, archived from the original onDecember 18, 2013; accessed on December 31, 2015(English, original website no longer available).
Middlemarch (& Pukerangi) . Otago Central Rail Trail, 2009, archived from the original onMarch 3, 2009; accessed on August 29, 2014(English, original website no longer available).

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b 2013 Census QuickStats about a place: Middlemarch . Statistics New Zealand , accessed August 7, 2017 .
↑ Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed August 7, 2017 .
^ Places Along the Line . Taieri Gorge Limited , 2005, archived from the original on February 8, 2013 ; accessed on January 14, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).
↑ Robin Bromby, Rails did build a Nation - An Encyclopedia of New Zealand Railways Corporation , Grantam House Publishing, Wellington, 2003, p93. ISBN 1-86934-080-9
↑ Sutton Salt Lake, Otago . Department of Geology, University of Otago , accessed January 14, 2016 .
↑ City Events - Middlemarch Singles Ball . Lakes in Dunedin , archived from the original on October 21, 2008 ; accessed on August 29, 2014 (English, original website no longer available).
↑ Middlemarch Singles Ball Easter Saturday 7th March, 2005 . Middlemarch , archived from the original on March 7, 2007 ; accessed on August 29, 2014 (English, original website no longer available).

[Stat_NZ_Population_and_dwellings-1] 2013 Census QuickStats about a place: Middlemarch . Statistics New Zealand , accessed August 7, 2017 .

[LINZ_Topo250_maps-2] Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed August 7, 2017 .

[Taieri_Gorge_Limited-3] Places Along the Line . Taieri Gorge Limited , 2005, archived from the original on February 8, 2013 ; accessed on January 14, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).

[4] Robin Bromby, Rails did build a Nation - An Encyclopedia of New Zealand Railways Corporation , Grantam House Publishing, Wellington, 2003, p93. ISBN 1-86934-080-9

[Sutton_Salt_Lake-5] Sutton Salt Lake, Otago . Department of Geology, University of Otago , accessed January 14, 2016 .

[sdunedn_1-6] City Events - Middlemarch Singles Ball . Lakes in Dunedin , archived from the original on October 21, 2008 ; accessed on August 29, 2014 (English, original website no longer available).

[middel_1-7] Middlemarch Singles Ball Easter Saturday 7th March, 2005 . Middlemarch , archived from the original on March 7, 2007 ; accessed on August 29, 2014 (English, original website no longer available).