"Waiuta Mine"

1. In the hills behind Blackwater,
Where the gold was rich and fine,
Dwelt in nineteen forty-nine a
busy township around the mine.

Chorus -
Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling,
Waiuta Mine,
Thou art lost and gone forever, Dreadful sorry,
Waiuta mine

2. They had dances, they had pictures;
And the folk were mighty fine,
In the hall they'd often gather,
Seven hundred ninety-nine.

(Chorus)

3. They had sports and games in plenty;
Matches when the sun did shine
Filled them with the joy of living,
Of the future, not a sign.

(Chorus)

4. But the gold grew scare and scarcer,
Fate approached with dark design;
Shafts below were near collapsing -
They were forced to close the mine.

(Chorus)

5. Then the township of Waiuta
Soon began to peak and pine,
Til in nineteen fifty-nine the
Ghosts were walking at the mine.

(Chorus)

6. Now the people of Waiuta meet with every friend in line
Scattered far, they come together, re
Membering the dear old mine

(Last Chorus)



Words by E.A.McCarrigan, Greymouth, January 1960.
Published in Ed. C. Chandlers book 'Waiuta Ghosts', July 1962.



I think that that song was written for, and sung at, one of the first Waiuta re-unions - a picnic day up there in 1960.

At the entrance to the town there was a big banner across the tar-sealed Top Road, which read "Welcome Back to Waiuta."

How do I know that? I was there! We went up on a bus from Reefton. I nearly didn't get to go as I had to shovel a ton of coal into the woodshed before we left.

Shoot! That was a long time ago!

There is still huge nostalgia around Waiuta. Probably because it died so quickly and they were all in the same boat - "up the creek without a paddle."

cheers