Industrial remains at the site of the old Prohibition Mine near the now ghost town of Waiuta in the west coatal region of New Zealands South Island


Industrial remains at the site of the old Prohibition Mine near the now ghost town of Waiuta in the west coatal region of New Zealands South Island. The mine closed in 1951 having opened in 1935. At one time it boasted the deepest shat in New Zealand at 879 metres (some 300 metres below sea level.) The ore contained a high level of arsenic and the method of extracting gold by roasting the ore caused a huge amount og pollution on the site. The land passed to the Department of Conservation (DOC) who later employed a specialist company to clean and remediate the site. It was declared safe in August 2016. Today visitors come to look round the site and be amazed at the views over to the Southern Alps . The mine closed very quickly which, coupled with the costs of transport, probably accounted for the amount of scrap metal on the site.


Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Prohibition Mine Waiuta Buller West Coast South Island New Zealand
Photo credit: © Brian Hartshorn / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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