Prohibition Mine at Waiuta Historic Reserve: 13 November 2021

Deepest mine shaft in New Zealand...Prohibition Mine

The last thing I did before leaving Waiuta was drive up to the Prohibition Mine shaft atop a hill close to Wauita. You get to the mine along Prohibition Road which starts next to the Waiuta information kiosk on Top Road. Prohibition Mine features the deepest mine shaft in New Zealand at 879 meters and the third deepest in the Southern hemisphere...

Prohibition Road runs past the Waiuta Information Kiosk

Map: Historic Waiuta including Prohibition Mine

Prohibition Road is a gravel road and it winds up the side of the hills to the start of the Big River Track and to the carpark at the Prohibition Mine site. It is a lot rougher than the main roads around Waiuta but the Silver Surfer made it up there so most cars should be good to go. Be careful driving up the road as it is winding, narrow and has a deep ditch either side of the road bed. 

Prohibition Road running up to Prohibition Mine

Start of the Big River Track at Waiuta

There is a sizeable carpark at the top of Prohibition Road where you can leave your car and go exploring amongst the ruins. Prohibition Mine was dug in the mid 1930's to access the top parts of the quartz reef at Waiuta. There was a mine shaft here, an aerial cableway to transport quartz down the hills and later a mill which crushed the rock and recovered the gold. 

Silver Surfer parked at the Prohibition Mine shaft, Waiuta

There are great views from up near the mine north to Victoria Forest Park and the Paparoas but much of it was covered with low cloud on the day I was visiting. There was intermittent rain the whole time I was on site and I had to stand under the trees a couple of times as showers went past. I would probably have spent more time at the mine if it was not so wet. 

View north from the Prohibition Mine site, Waiuta

Prohibition Mine shaft was the deepest in New Zealand and reached down for 879 meters. The last 300 meters of the shaft were below sea level which gives you an idea of just how deep it really was. The massive quartz vein ran down from the top of the hill to deep underground and when the mine closed in 1951 it still had 40% of its reserves left to mine. 

Old mining equipment at the Prohibition Mine, Waiuta

The main buildings near the old shaft top were the electricity generating room, offices and a set of worker showers for when the miners came out of the shaft at days end. The mine workers could use a truck service to get the 1.8 kilometers back down to Waiuta or they could walk back down to the town on a track specifically built for the purpose. 

Prohibition Mine information panel...

Prohibition Mine shaft is now encased in a meters thick concrete cap over the portal for the mine as there was some thought of eventually re opening the mine sometime. There used to be a 25 meter high poppet head over the shaft but this along with many of the old buildings have been removed over the years. Prohibition shaft is still there as it was the nearby Blackwater shaft used for ventilation and pumping water which collapse suddenly in mid 1951. 

The Prohibition Mine shaft is under this concrete cap...

There is some kind of underground fluid level room here the use of which I could not really understand but the signs next to the buildings explain it all. Basically they increased or decreased the fluid level in this space to change the electrical charge of the generators. 

The mine was quite a sophisticated enterprise and would have required engineers, metalsmiths, carpenters, boiler makers and fitters and turners to keep it in operation. 

Inside the pumping room at the old Prohibition Mine, Waiuta

...hydraulic fluid was pumped into the mill from here...

The upper parts of the many buildings at Prohibition Mine have been removed but there is still a lot of old mine relics left to explore including some of the flywheels from the elevator system, boilers, mine buckets and sections of the old aerial cableway down to Waiuta. 

Spindle wheels from the mine winding gear at Prohibition Mine, Waiuta

You also have the foundations of the buildings to give you an idea of the scale and complexity of the infrastructure need to run a mine even in the 1930's. There are a series of very informative panels near the poppet head...have a read of them as they give a lot of context to the ruins you are walking about. 

Overview of the Prohibition Mine, Waiuta

Map of the underground quartz reef at Waiuta

Prohibition Mine information panel, Waiuta

Next to the shaft buildings is the old site office where the mine manager and his various clerks and foremen worked. The building is gone...all that remains are the old chimney foundations, some stairs, building piles and an old lock room where the extracted gold and wage money was stored. 

The old Prohibition Mine office foundations

Chimney from the old office at Prohibition Mine, Waiuta

The old office safe at the Prohibition Mine

From the Prohibition Mine shaft you can walk over to the old site of the quartz crushing mill built in 1938 to replace the outdated Snowy River Stamper Battery.

Looking down on Prohibition Mill from the track

 The mill used state of the art technology to separate the gold from the quartz using a series of methods including crushing, heating, filtration and chemical suspension. What was left was a highly toxic amalgam of zinc/arsenic/gold which was heated and turned into gold ingots. 

Site of the Prohibition Mill at Waiuta

Prohibition Mill: the foundations remain.....

This whole process could be controlled by as little as four men making it infinitely more productive and far less expensive. The mill never ran at full capacity as by the time it was built the amount of gold in the quartz had started to diminish. When the mine closed in 1951 all this equipment was sold, dismantled and taken to new gold mines in the North Island. 

The Prohibition Mill was a large enterprise...

There is a fenced off chemical dump near Prohibition Mill, Waiuta

When the Prohibition shaft was first dug the quartz ore was brought to the surface and transported by aerial cableway down the hills to the Snowy Battery where it was crushed and processed to recover the gold. Eventually when the mine was deep enough a horizontal tunnel was dug so the ore could go direct to the crusher plant. 

Parts of the aerial cableway still exist around the site and the path cut through the forest is very evident even 85 years later...

Looking down on Wauita Lodge from the Prohibition Mill

There was an aerial cableway from Prohibition Mill to Waiuta

In 1951 the Blackwater shaft unexpectedly collapsed and as it was used for ventilation and to clear flood water the whole mine quickly became unusable. The mine might have closed anyway as the yield from the quartz ore had started to diminish but there was an expectation at the time that the mine still had 5-10 years of life. It must have been a real shock to those who called Waiuta home...

Looking south from near Prohibition Mill

From the Prohibition Mill I headed back around to the car and started my journey home. I stopped on the way out of town at the kiosk at the entrance to Waiuta.  This is the place where the old aerial cableway once crossed the valley enroute to the Snowy River Stamper Battery. It is a fascinating site and well worth the time if you ever find yourself at Waiuta.

Prohibition Mill was on the hill center right...

If you have never visited Waiuta then you should put it on your to do list...you can easily spent 1-2 days just in the town walking the many tracks. For the more adventurous walk into Big River Hut and then spend a day at Waiuta exploring the area. Stay a night in Waiuta Lodge in between...it is a great base of operations.

I hope to return to Waiuta Lodge in the near future...

That is the last of my posts about Waiuta...next week I am walking the Heaphy Track so look out for some posts about that trip...

Access: From Reefton head south for 21 kilometers along SH 7 towards Greymouth. Turn onto Waiuta Road at Hukarere and follow Waiuta Road to the lodge. Prohibition Mine shaft is at the top of the winding gravel Prohibition Road 

Hut Details: Waiuta Lodge: Serviced, 24 bunks, wood burner, electric lights/heating/cooking, water from aquifer, wood shed, toilet/shower block

Miscellaneous: On the DOC hut booking system, must be booked for overnight visit. Close to the historic mining town of Waiuta. The Waiuta Road is a winding, narrow gravel road take care at all times. 

Gold Discovery Loop Walk, Waiuta Historic Reserve: 13 November 2021

 ...the origin of the mines at Waiuta...

There are a number of short and longer tracks around Waiuta and while I did not visit all of them I did manage to walk around the Town Walk and Gold Discovery Loop Walk. The Gold Discovery Loop Walk is around the original mine tunnels dug into the top of the quartz reef at Waiuta. 

Start of the Gold Discovery Loop Walk at Waiuta

The short track starts from near the public toilet on New Road...there is a carpark here where you can leave your car while exploring the local area. The walk is only 500 meters long and does a loop from the carpark past the old mine tunnels to the historic swimming pool. From here it heads back to Prohibition Road and the Information Kiosk. 

The carpark at the start of the Gold Discovery Loop Walk

The original site of the first mine tunnels at Waiuta

Just a word of caution...don't go walking off the main tracks...this is an old mining area and all old mining areas have grown over shafts, pits and holes you can fall into...

Fenced of ventilation shafts at the Gold Discovery Loop Walk

Four prospectors discovered the quartz reef on the 9th November 1905. This was the birthday of King Edward the VII hence the name. They dug several short tunnels into the surrounding hills and managed to locate the top of the rich gold bearing reef which under lays the whole town. This gave rise to gold mining in the Waiuta area and the much deeper Blackwater and Prohibition shafts. 

Plaque at the Birthday Mine on the Gold Discovery Loop Walk

The tunnel is fenced off (but not very well...) and you can see some distance into the original tunnel dug to the reef. There is also a plaque here with a bit of information about the prospectors who discovered the quartz reef. I have seen a YouTube video taken in this tunnel and it goes back into the hill for about 50 meters to the top of the quartz vein. 

Don't do this yourself...the tunnel is over 116 years old and will not be stable...it could easily collapse on you and that would be that...

The Birthday Mine shaft at Waiuta

From the Birthday Reef you continue along some boardwalk and up a small hill to the site of the historic Waiuta swimming pool. The track is easy to follow and well signposted so just follow the signs...

Gold Discovery Loop Walk...heading for the swimming pool

The Waiuta swimming pool was constructed in the mid 1930's and was just one of several community facilities the small town had to offer. It was in use from the 1930's to the 1990's after which it basically fell into disrepair. It was filled with water from a nearby stream so it was colored brown by tannins and was often murky.

Historic Swimming Pool at Waiuta

There is an information panel at the pool with some photos and information about when the pool was built...it is surprisingly big for such a remote location and must have been well loved by the local residents. There is a story on the information panel about how people would slip some eels into the pool for giggles and japes and watch the people exit post haste when they realised they were not alone...

Hilarious.....!!!

The Swimming Pool on the Gold Discovery Loop Walk

From the pool you head back down the track and take the right hand track which will eventually take you up to the Prohibition Road. We are heading for the Waiuta Information Kiosk built on the foundations of the old School House. There are some massive exotic trees along here which must have been planted when the town first started in the 1920's...

Gold Discovery Loop Walk...heading to Top Road

Along the way you pass two more tunnels dug into the hillsides where they were exploring for quartz. They are open to the public but be aware entry is at your own risk and make no mistake it is risky entering old mining tunnels. These tunnels go back into the hill for nearly 100 meters and once past the entrance you would be able to walk through them crouching down. 

You will need a good torch and be prepared to get dirty as the tunnel is not huge...

Another mine shaft on the Gold Discovery Loop Walk

There is an information panel near the end of the track with information about other tracks in the area including the Big River Track, Snowy Battery Walk, Kirwins Reward Track and some MTB rides around Reefton. Reefton is starting to turn into a cool outdoor activity center with more and more people visiting to explore the delights of Victoria Forest Park. 

Information about historic tracks around Reefton

Prohibition Road is the access road up to the remains of the Prohibition Mine shaft built on the top of a nearby hill. Prohibition Shaft operated from the 1940's to the mine closure in 1951 and eventually became the main mine access point. I will cover the trip up to Prohibition Road in another post so watch for that. 

Prohibition Road to the Prohibition Mine, Waiuta

I went over and visited the Waiuta Information Kiosk on the corner of Top Road and Prohibition Road. You would already have read about this in my last post about the walk around the old town so I will not go over the detail again. It was built on the old foundations of the Waiuta School house and has information panels and photos of the old town from the 1930's. 

Waiuta Information Kiosk on Top Road...

Panels in the Waiuta Information Kiosk...

Information about the Blackwater Mine shaft at Waiuta

Photo of Waiuta township in the late 1930's

Directly across the road is Tim Whites Cottage which was originally the Police station (with lockup!!!) from when the town had a resident polis presence. I imagine he had his work cut out with him as miners are not known for their pleasant manners and good behaviour. They would have been hard working and hard living blokes so I bet they got to visit the cells from time to time...

Tim Whites Cottage opposite the information kiosk, Waiuta

View to the slag heap at Blackwater Shaft, Waiuta

From the Information Kiosk you walk back along New Road to the carpark and the old Blackwater Mine shaft. This is a nice short track and it is interesting to have a look at the old tunnels and the swimming pool so consider a visit if you are in the area. 

Access: From Reefton head south for 21 kilometers along SH 7 towards Greymouth. Turn onto Waiuta Road at Hukarere and follow Waiuta Road to the historic mining town. the Gold Discovery Loop Track starts from the carpark next to the Blackwater Shaft. 

Hut Details: Waiuta Lodge: Serviced, 24 bunks, wood burner, electric lights/heating/cooking, water from aquifer, wood shed, toilet/shower block

Miscellaneous: On the DOC hut booking system, must be booked for overnight visit. Close to the historic mining town of Waiuta. The Waiuta Road is a winding, narrow gravel road take care at all times. 

Lewis Pass Nature Walk, Lewis Pass National Reserve: 11 November 2021

Experiencing nature at Lewis Pass...

I stopped at Lewis Pass last week on my way to Waiuta on the West Coast. I was heading over to walk the Big River Track and to have a look at the old gold mining town there. On the way I stopped and walked the Lewis Pass Nature Loop Track. 

Walking up to the Lewis Pas Tarn walk

I have stopped at the Lewis Pass carpark a number of times over the years but only realised earlier this year that there is a small loop track off the St James Walkway. It is through an area of lovely sub alpine forest and glacial remains a couple of hundred meters away from the tarn. I also wanted to have a look at the trampers shelter at Lewis Pass to check out the amenities there...

The carpark at the Lewis Pass, Lewis Pass National Reserve

Lewis Pass Trampers Shelter, Lewis Pass National Reserve

On the way to the Loop Track you pass by the side of Lewis Pass Tarn so if you have never visited the tarn before stop and have a look as it is very picturesque...

Lewis Pass Tarn, Lewis Pass National Reserve

The first part of the track is along the St James Walkway but you soon arrive at a track junction with a track to the Loop Track heading off to the left...

Lewis Pass Nature Loop Walk:

Lewis Pass Loop Track is only 800 meters long and will take you from 20-25 minutes to complete. To start with you are walking over boardwalk but this changes to gravel track as you make your way towards an area of wetlands and rolling moraine piles left over from some ancient glacier. 

Junction of St James Walkway and Lewis Pas Nature Loop

The area around the Lewis Pass has been sculpted by ice and it was in the recent past. There were glaciers in all of these valleys as recently as 20 000 years ago and there is much evidence of glacial action all around you. The small humps, rock piles and ridges along the walk are old glacial moraine walls while the shallow wetlands are dried up and silted over kettle tarns. 

There are sections of boardwalk on the Lewis Pass Loop Track

Snow on the Freyburg and Spencer Ranges

There are awesome views of the surrounding mountain ranges like the Freyburg, Opera, Libretto and Spencer. Many of the peaks around here are from 1600-2000 meters a.s.l so they often still have snow on their tops even in summer. Lewis Pass is particularly spectacular in the winter when this whole area will be covered with snow....

View west to the Lewis Pass Tops from the Lewis Pass Loop Track

The wetlands next to the Lewis Pass Loop Track

Freyburg Range from the track at Lewis Pass

There are awesome views of the surrounding mountain ranges like the Freyburg, Opera, Libretto and Spencer. Many of the peaks around here are from 1600-2000 meters a.s.l so they often still have snow on their tops even in summer. Lewis Pass is particularly spectacular in the winter when this whole area will be covered with snow....

Information board along the Lewis Pass Loop Track

Winding down towards some alpine bogs, Lewis Pass Loop Track

At one point there is a good view of SH7 the Lewis Pass Highway and down along the mountain ranges which border the Lewis River Valley. The Libretto Range Range runs right along the eastern side of the highway and it is possible to walk from one end of them to the other along open tops...

SH7 and the Lewis River Valley from the Lewis Pass Loop Track

Lewis Pass Loop Track...into the goblin forest

There is an excellent view up the Maruia River Valley from the track and you can see far enough up the valley to see Gloriana Peak and the Faire Queene. This is along the route of the St James Walkway which hugs the valley bottom till past the Faire Queene where the valley widens out into a grass plain...

Looking up the Maruia River Valley to Gloriana Peak

There are a variety of alpine plants along the track including Turpentine Scrub, Snow Tussock, Red Tussock, Alpine Lilly's and other rugged plants. Many of these can be seen at any alpine region in the South Island including Nelson Lakes NP,  Arthurs Pass, Mt Cook and down around Mt Aspiring NP.

A Snow Tussock along the Lewis Pass Loop Track

Lichen and Moss covered Beech Tree

A type of alpine Oleanna on the Lewis Pass Loop

There is a bench seat halfway around the track where you can stop and admire the beauty all around you...I stopped for about five minutes and listened to the birds calling out to each other. 

Pt.1605 and the Opera Range from Lewis Pass Loop Track

Further along the track heads into stunted Beech Forest which is the dominant tree species around Lewis Pass. There are Black Beech and Silver Beech here with larger Red Beech further along the St James Walkway. Most of the forest is cloaked in strands of Lichen which gives it a ghostly appearance. 

Lewis Pass Loop Track...information on Beech Forest

Waterfall coming down off Trovatore (1737 asl)

The track crosses some more glacial remains just before reentering the forest and there are more moraines and glacial erratic's everywhere you look. The area would be a geologist dream location as there is plenty to explore...

Glacial erratic lying next to the Lewis Pass Loop Track

Sub Alpine scrub along the Lewis Pass Loop Track

Crossing a glacial moraine along the Lewis Pass Loop Track

There is a multitude of Turpentine Scrub along the track...this type of woody scrub is excellent as a Firestarter as the wood and leaves are rich in oils and resins. They will burn dry or wet but if you dry them they are one of the easiest types of native wood to get burning. 

A plaque under a Turpentine Scrub, Lewis Pass Loop Track

The track winds its way back towards the track junction and before you know it you can see the end of the track coming into view once again. It is an easy walk but due to the ups and downs it is probably best utilised by people with a moderate degree of agility and fitness. 

There are several species of Beech tree in this photo...

Lewis Pass Loop Track...back on the boardwalk

Nearing the track junction with the St James Walkway

The St James heads off to the right...

There is a trampers shelter at the Lewis Pass carpark with a toilet and water tank. It is intended for those people waiting for a bus or other form of transport to collect them.  While it has over head cover it is a three sided building so you cannot sleep here. It would be a great spot to sit and wait for a couple of hours but the voracious sandflies would soon see you off...

Good view of Lewis Pass Shelter, Lewis Pass National Reserve

Overhead shelter at the Lewis Pass Shelter

Most people are surprised to learn that the central section of the Lewis Pass Highway was only sealed in the mid 1960's. Up to that point the gravel road over Lewis Pass was much more rugged and difficult than Arthurs Pass so saw very little traffic. 

Lewis Pass Shelter: history of the area...

Lewis Pass Shelter: map ofthe local area...

Lewis Pass is usually open over the winter when Porters Pass and Arthurs Pass are covered in snow and has one of only three main highways to cross the Southern Alps. The others are Arthurs Pass and Haast Pass. Lewis Pass is actually a saddle rather than a pass between the river valleys of the Maruia and Lewis Rivers. 

Rainwater tank on outside of Lewis Pass Shelter

There are a number of other tracks from the carpark at Lewis Pass including the Lewis Tops Route, St James Walkway and Rolleston Peak Route. You can also access the Zampa Tops Route off the St James and it is possible to walk to the eastern end of the Libretto Range near Boyle Village along the top of the range...

There are multiple tracks from Lewis Pass carpark

The next time you are crossing Lewis Pass you should stop and go for a stroll...even if you only go take some photos of the Lewis Pass Tarn you will not be disappointed. It is a lovely area and deserves some of your attention...

Access: From SH 7 (Lewis Pass Highway) a short boardwalk track leads to the Lewis Pass Nature Loop Walk. You can access several other tracks from the carpark including the Lewis Tops Track, Rolleston Peak Track and the St James Walkway.

Track Times: It is two minutes to the Lewis Pass Loop Walk from the carpark (follow the signs). Other tracks are from 30 minutes to several days depending on length.

YouTube link: Lewis Pass Nature Loop Track

Miscellaneous: The Lewis Pass carpark is in a high alpine area and as such is prone to extreme weather. There is a toilet and trampers shelter near the tarn available to all visitors. Severe avalanche risk on the Lewis Pass Tops & St James Walkway in Winter/Spring so only proceed if safe (check the Avalanche Advisory website).