Once New Zealand’s biggest gold mine, now a empty ghost town
Waiuta was founded in 1906, it’s main income was it’s gold mine’s. Waiuta is widely known for their goldmine which was founded in 1906, known as the Birthday Quartz Reef as it was found on King Edward VII's birthday. The first mineshaft operated in 1908 called the Blackwater Shaft, and it was 563m in depth.
From 1906 to 1951 it was the South Island's largest gold mine and the village was home to 600 people. When the Second World War started, a decline in the number of miners occured, because of lot’s having to go to war. On July 9, 1951 the Blackwater Shaft collapsed, and the mine flooded.
From 1908 to 1937 gold was processed at the Snowy Battery. The gold was pounded out of the rock using the water powered ‘battery’ with iron stamps. In the Snowy River valley, quartz was pounded to powder by heavy stamps and the gold was saved through various processes. Then they were treated with cyanide in the lowest building.
It ended up as a ghost town, because when the mine collapsed lots of people lost their jobs. Without the income of the mine there was no reason for people to stay, so they packed up and left.
Now Waiuta is a historic site for tourists to visit.
By Thomas Hardie
