A ghost town called Waiuta
By Eden
Waiuta, once a town full of people and gold miners, now a deserted ghost town. Tony Mangans Family was the last family to leave the town to the ghosts. Years of gold mining for nothing, the town is now just a historical site.
Town Life
By 1930 the towns population had grown to nearly 600. It became well known for its sport teams like rugby league, where the goal posts still stand that were once used often are now just swaying in the breeze. The small town is a popular place to visit because of its amazing location and its historic significance. At the end of the long road was a friendly and inviting town called Waiuta. Due to it being down a long road it was very isolated and alone. The town had all of the facilities and shops they needed to survive. Miners Phthisis
When gold mining, there are lots of hazardous chemicals and fumes. The miners would inhale lots of quartz dust which gave them an illness called Miners Phthisis. Miners Phthisis is a form of lung complication. This was responsible for many of the miners early deaths, making the population become smaller.
Blackwater Shaft
In 1951 the Blackwater Shaft collapsed. The water and gases could no longer be safely be extracted from the mine shaft, which was now a pile of rubble. The water trapped in the rubble with all the hazardous chemicals was contaminated. The town could no longer consume it. The company decided that the mine was not worth saving and rebuilding. The mine closed and the resident’s abandoned the small town. The Blackwater Shaft is thought to be reopened as the reef in the area is still rich in gold and profitable.Historic gold town
The small town left for the ghosts is an amazing place to visit. The town has been overgrown by trees and is now turning into a forest again. There are few houses left in the area but Waiuta is a historic tourist attraction for the West Coast.
