We welcome you to take part in a country fair day, celebrating what we do, enjoying our produce and that of our neighbouring districts, and having fun and games with the children.

The indigenous Maori people of New Zealand passed through our valley on their way to the West Coast for pounamu (greenstone or jade) and on their annual food gathering migrations. Then came the gold miners in the 1860s. Today gold is still found at the nearby Oceania Gold mine, the largest open-cast mine in the Southern hemisphere.

Then came farming, and with the need for access, the Otago Central Railway was built from Dunedin to inland Otago via Middlemarch. First sheep were farmed, then cattle with dairying in the first half of the 1900s, and in recent times deer. Today those local farmers will tempt you with samples of the delectable food they produce and answer any questions you might have about their farming.

But that isn’t all we produce. New Zealand’s first organically certified honey, Strathdale Honey, is produced from bees living off the clover on the local fields and is also available for tasting.

Further inland our neighbours grow an exquisite range of wines some of which are available today along with fresh fruit. To the south and west are wetter dairying areas,

from which we have delicious Whitestone Cheese to tempt your taste buds.

If it is sweeter tastes you yearn for then Mark Scorgie, whose family still farms in the Strath Taieri area, has Gourmet Ice Cream.

As roading improved, trains became less used and the railway line was closed. Two great things then happened. A Trust of train enthusiasts took over the running of the Train from Dunedin to Middlemarch so people like you could experience the magnificent views of the Taieri Gorge and the engineering feats that made the railway possible.

The remaining 150 km of closed line from Middlemarch further into Central Otago became a recreational Trail for the many thousands annually who walk, horse-ride or bike through the spectacular Otago scenery.

The Rock and Pillar Range to the west has a network of walking trails and stunning Alpine flora and fauna to explore. Today you will see a range of practical lifestyle clothing bearing the name of that mountain range and reflecting its essence. The Rock and Pillar Range is also home to the Otago skink (Oligosoma otagense), an endangered species of lizard featured on this page.

Through the valley runs the Taieri River, good for trout and salmon. The wider Strath Taieri covers 200,000 hectares and is home to some 650 people. We welcome you here today.