West Coast ghost town celebrates 70 years

News: 9 July 2021

Friends of Waiuta media release.

Waiuta, the best ghost town on the West Coast, will be celebrating the 70-year remembrance of the Blackwater Mine and town closure today.

The event is being hosted by Friends of Waiuta, who have been helping protect the heritage site for 35 years. 'We have a fun day lined up for all our special guests,' says Margaret Sadler, president of Friends of Waiuta. 'They'll be treated to a drive around town by vintage cars. There will be a siren at 1pm going for half a minute from the old post office site, when that stops a piper will lead a procession of all those who lived at Waiuta. Toddles the Waiuta donkey will make an appearance, there's a book launch, and lots of quirky stories on a guided tour of town.' Official speeches will also be held, guest speakers including Department of Conservation director general Lou Sanson, Mayor of Buller Jamie Cleine and Mayor of the Grey District Tania Gibson.

Waiuta, located near Reefton, was the location of the third biggest mine in New Zealand and the largest producer of gold on the West Coast. It's an historic industrial site of national significance on public conservation land, and is recognised by Tohu Whenua as one of our Aotearoa New Zealand's best heritage experiences.

Image from Waiuta is courtesy of Tohu Whenua.

Waiuta was a bustling place in the early half of the twentieth century. It grew out of the last great gold discovery on the West Coast and tells not just a mining story but also one of how people lived in remote settings in comparatively recent times.

Miners from all over the world came to Waiuta with their families, and the isolated setting gave rise to a strong and vibrant community, which at its peak reached around 600 people. The working and social lives of this community were captured in a remarkable collection of photographs by miner Jos Divis some of which can be seen in interpretation around the township.

Waiuta is a site that first gained the attention of historians in the 1980s when it was recognised that the abandoned town still had a strong cultural identity among past residents who visited the town and kept in touch with other former residents.

The mine closed in 1951 and the close-knit community quickly packed up and moved on to new jobs and towns. Some buildings remain though, including the police station and barber shop and visitors can explore the remains of the town and its associated mining history within the township itself, up the hill at the Prohibition Mine, and on a walk to the Snowy River Battery.

Event details

Friday 9th July - 6pm Dinner at Dawsons (already fully subscribed)

Saturday 10th July - 10.20am Screening of 'Whispers of Gold' at the Reefton Theatre. $5, pay at the door.

Saturday 10th July (pm) - Reefton historic tour (John Taylor). Includes Reefton School of Mines, Blacks Point Museum and Power House.

Friday 9 to Saturday 10 July - Waiuta school reunion.

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