WHISPERS OF GOLD – documentary film about a mining ghost town

On the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island, lie the ghosts of Waiuta, one of New Zealand’s richest gold towns – long abandoned since the Blackwater mine closed in 1951. “Whispers of Gold” tells Waiuta’s story from its beginnings to current day. Archive film and photographs give a rare glimpse of 1900’s mining town life – the colorful characters, stories and the gold that kept its heart beating but left a toxic legacy.

Now a passionate group are lovingly restoring Waiuta as a New Zealand landmark, while others are looking to once again mine the rich quartz reef that was never fully worked out. Friends of Waiuta presents a Visionco Production produced by Dave Kwant and directed by Luis Caston and written by Robyn Janes.