Origin of Pigroot name lost in the mists of time

The mountainous section of State Highway 85, often affected by extreme weather, runs from Palmerston through to Ranfurly.

Several explanations exist for its Pigroot name.

One suggestion is the local wild pigs were so friendly you could walk right up to them. Another is that goldminers found it was a "pig of a route" to traverse with a horse and cart.

Most likely the name comes from the Pigroot Hotel, the only building in the town of Pigroot, where travellers stayed during the 1870s to 1880s.

Officially it was named the "Halfway House" but, colloquially, it was known as the Pigroot Hotel.