Waiuta Gold Mine Town Part 2

Описание: Exploring Waiuta Gold Mine Town Part 2.

Part 1:    • Waiuta Gold Mine Town Part 1  

(Spent a full day exploring here and loved it. The next morning I explored the Prohibition Mine and Snowy Battery, Snowy battery and powerhouse tracks are closed. Contaminated site with excessive levels of arsenic, mercury and cyanide plus a slip on the track to the powerhouse. Some no brains low life has shot holes in some of the signs.

Waiuta, in the upper Grey Valley on New Zealand’s West Coast, is the evocative remains of the last and longest-lived gold mining town in the region. Built around one of the country’s most successful quartz mines, the site tells the story of a community and industry that operated from 1906 until its sudden closure in 1951.

At its peak, Waiuta was home to more than 600 people and featured shops, a school, churches, a hospital, hotel, post office, police station, and sports facilities. The town revolved around the hugely productive operations of Blackwater Mines Limited, which worked one of the world’s most regular and persistent gold reefs.

Today, visitors can explore the remains of the town, the original Blackwater South Shaft, the dramatic concrete foundations of the Snowy River Battery to the south, and the later Prohibition (North) Shaft and ball mill site to the north. These sites are powerful reminders of Waiuta’s industrial scale and social life, vividly documented in historic photographs taken by resident miner-photographer Joseph “Jos” Divis.

After the South Shaft collapsed in July 1951, mining ceased instantly and the town was largely abandoned within weeks. Though most buildings were removed, Waiuta was never forgotten. Conservation and heritage efforts began in the late 20th century, and today the site is managed by the Department of Conservation, with ongoing support from the dedicated Friends of Waiuta volunteer group.

Waiuta remains one of New Zealand’s most significant and atmospheric mining heritage sites, offering a fascinating glimpse into the lives, work, and sudden disappearance of a once-thriving gold town.)

#mining #gold #westcoast