Waiuta the ghost town

Waiuta the ghost town

By Emily

Waiuta is now a West Coast ghost town. Waiuta is located south of Reefton. Waiuta was the largest gold mining town in 1906 until 1951 at the time. Waiuta had a population around 600 people and now it is completely abandoned. It is now a historical site and attracts many tourists.




The first mine

Waiuta was known for the gold mining industry until it shut down in 1951 because the mine collapsed making it uneconomic to re establish. The very first mineshaft was operated in 1908. It was extended in 1926. The first mine was called Blackwater north claim, but renamed the Prohibition. In 1938 the Prohibition took over all production. It reached around 879m deep. The mine produced nearly 750,000 ounces of gold (which is in today’s money $1,869,255,217).




Waiuta now

Waiuta is now a historic site, which is visited by many tourists. No one lives in Waiuta, it only has a lodge where people can stay. Today Waiuta is almost empty of all the old buildings, most of them were demolished. Waiuta is considered one of New Zealand's most popular ghost towns. Waiuta was once a successful gold mining town, but now it is completely abandoned. Only a few building stand and the mines are now in crumbles. Waiuta is a very popular historic site that many people visit to find out more information about the town.