Waiuta - NZ's Ghost Town

Located 21 km south of Reefton in Ikamatua, Waiuta was the location of a historic gold mining town.  Unlike many of the old mining sites we've visited throughout the West Coast, Waiuta has a more recent history.

History

Now abandoned, it is considered one of NZ's most popular ghost towns.  Gold was mined in the area for decades before they hit the 'motherload'.  The first gold Quartz Reef was found in 1905 and the first mine shaft operated in 1908 called the Blackwater Shaft (593m deep!).  The mine was extended in 1926 with the opening of the Prohibition Shaft (a whopping 879m deep)which is a short drive further up the hill.  The mine produced 750,000 ounces of gold and by the early 1920s, a town was beginning to form.

We spent the entire day in Waiuta, following in the footsteps of those miners and their families and picturing just what their lives must have looked like.

We took the walk to Snowy Creek Battery and the old powerhouse that used to supply electricity to the entire town.

Click on the link below to read more on what we saw and experienced in Waiuta and Reefton.
https://wp.me/p7Owlb-1eX

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