Waiuta Information Report

A Ghost Town, Waiuta By: Bridget

Waiuta is a historic mining ghost town located in the South Island of New Zealand half an hour away from Reefton. Today Waiuta is a historic town full of recreational activities including  tramping, mountain biking, sightseeing and more. Waiuta has a history of mining, the towns population grew then decreased.

                         Waiuta’s Mining History

Waiuta was known for mining. Waiuta’s first mine, Blackwater Shaft was near the town and was 563m deep and went into full operation in 1908. There was a second mine called the Prohibition Shaft that was 879m deep and  became the main operating mine in 1936.The miners drilled gold bearing quartz out of an underground reef. The mine had timber props to stop the mine from caving in. In 1951 the Blackwater Shaft was being used for ventilation and pumping at the time, it collapsed resulting in gas and water not being able to be extracted.

Waiuta’s Population & Buildings

Waiuta had a population growth & loss and lots of buildings. There was the Empire Hotel near the entrance of the town that was used for lots of social gatherings. There was also a miners hall that was added in 1910, and was a large place for big gatherings. There was a school that slowly expanded over the years, by 1933 it had 113 students and 3 staff. The last major building was a cottage hospital completed in 1916. Waiuta thrived from 1906-1930, around 1930 it had around 600 people in the community. After the Blackwater Shaft collapsed the mine was shut down and the town was abandoned. After around a month there was only around 30 people left. In 1935 Inangahua had around 3600 people and 600 of them were at Waiuta.

Waiuta Overall

Overall Waiuta’s population grew and decreased thriving through 1906-1930. Waiuta had lots of buildings for many different reasons. Waiuta was very popular for mining but is now a ghost town with some buildings still in tack.