Waiuta Lodge is a large (sleeps 30), historic lodge situated at Waiuta, a ghost town now but once home to one of New Zealand’s most valuable gold mines.

Located 21kms south of Reefton it provides an ideal stepping off point to explore the many and varied 4WD trails in this magic corner of the South Island’s West Coast.

Joining us were Enterprise (70 series Toyota), Orange Peel (orange Land Rover), Tigga (LWB Patrol) and Polaris2 (SWB Pajero).

Waiuta, the town at the top of the West Coast's richest gold mine, grew from the region’s last great gold discovery, made back in 1905.

Though today, the town site is almost empty of buildings, a dedicated group of local people are working hard to keep its memory alive.

For the full story an informative website is the best place to start (www.waiuta.org.nz). Suffice to say within its forest-surrounded setting, many mining relics remain from the days when hundreds worked there, and a few of the town's original buildings still stand, including the former police station, three cottages and the old barber shop.

Access to Waiuta is signposted from State Highway 7, 58 km north of Greymouth and 21 km south of Reefton.

A nine km drive up a narrow sealed road first takes you to Blackwater then a gravel road winds up through forest for eight kms to emerge on Waiuta's top road.

The main information area is about half a kilometre on, overlooking the Blackwater Mine site.

Friends of Waiuta is an incorporated society formed in 1985 to promote the town and mines of Waiuta, as well as the wider Inangahua quartz field that they were a part of.

The group originally worked in conjunction with the New Zealand Forest Service and now has a partnership with the Department of Conservation which manages Waiuta.

To find out more go to www.waiuta.org.nz

To read the full story in the September 2015 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (on sale September 21) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.