About Reefton Area

Reefton (Reef Town) is named after the reefs of gold and coal bearing quartz which funded its birth around 1870.  It still has the feel of a swashbuckling, frontier town full of characters, adventure and fortunes to be made.

It is set in the Inangahua River valley between the rugged and spectacular Victoria and Paparoa ranges. People here are fiercely proud of and true to their mining roots.  The wonderful heritage buildings preserved and restored along the quaint main street, reflect this pride, as does the Bearded Miners’ cottage, an 1860’s replica mining crib complete with real miners with real beards and a real ‘Coast’ attitude.

Of all Buller’s settlements, it is probably the most authentic ‘mining’ town.  It is the gateway into the northern and central west coast from the Christchurch and north Canterbury regions via the Lewis Pass through the Southern Alps. 

Population

Reefton today has a stable population of approximately 1100 and a vibrant community spirit.  It is also the home of one of the southern hemisphere’s largest goldmining operations:  Oceania Gold.  Tours are available – ask at the Reefton Information Centre or the Tea Rooms.

Heritage

A fun thing to do here is to take a heritage walk around the streets of Reefton including Broadway, the town's main street with its pioneer and verandahed look.  Just pick up a walk brochure from the Info Centre and you can start to explore the historic buildings and imagine what it was like back in the 1870s when the promise of gold and lasting prosperity built the town. The many buildings dating back to the beginning help you recreate Reefton's past - the Surveyors House (1871), the 'Top of the Town' shops and Forsyth & Masters Store (1870s), the Courthouse (1873), the Oddfellows Hall (1872), Bank of New Zealand (1873), National Bank (1873), Catholic Church (1877), St Stephens Anglican Church (1878), Reefton School of Mines (1886) and the Band Hall (1901).

For Railway Devotees

Reefton is also rich in rail heritage with the world's only Single 'R' Class Fairlie locomotive in its original form sitting right in the heart of town. Just out of town on SH 69 towards Westport, the Reefton railway precinct retains its 19th Century railway station (1892) and the country's only remaining single row two-stall steam engine shed (1892), both former Midland Railway Company buildings.

And don’t miss an hour or two at Blacks Point where Reefton’s gold fever began, at the museum housed in a pitsawn timber church dating back to 1876.   The stamping battery there is still crushing quartz to get the gold out – fascinating!

See Heritage (Miners Hut, Reefton School of Mines, Bev’s Dolls and Toys Museum, Heritage Reefton & Blacks Points Tours, ‘Around Globe’ Mine Tours, http://www.reefton.co.nz/historic.html)

Retail Therapy and Services

Reefton’s retail centre and CBD offers a wide range of shopping and leisure activities – from supermarket and pharmacy, to some quirky secondhand and op shops, along with plants, hardware, sports and fishing and arts and crafts.

Right in the centre of town is a very popular domain and campground set on the banks of the Inangahua River (a renowned brown trout fishery); and the town and its surrounding area offer a good range of accommodation from historic hotels, to up market B&Bs and homestays, through holiday rental cottages and backpackers.  There’s also a good range of take out or eat in food spots, a great little golf club, movie theatre, roller park, swimming pool and town walks.

You might also like to try your luck with a Lotto ticket!  Reefton’s past is full of fortune hunters and it is known in Kiwiland as being a very lucky town!  So go for it.

Climate

Since Reefton is inland there is little wind giving it a hot dry summer and a misty frosty winter. Rainfall is 2200 mm per annum - it's the champagne for the rain forest.

Reefton’s Nature Parks and Reserves

Victoria Conservation Park

Reefton is surrounded by Victoria Conservation Park, New Zealand's largest of 182,000 hectares, named after the granite Victoria Ranges that run almost its entire length. The park was established for its magnificent and diverse beech forests and the many historic gold and coal mining sites.

Wildlife Corridor

The North Westland Wildlife Corridor, a continuous set of reserves and other conservation land that allows wildlife to move from the coast to the Southern Alps is a distinctive feature.

Outdoor Activities

This is paradise for outdoor fun -  In Victoria Park there are ghost towns like Waiuta to explore – a huge range of walks (See Reefton Walks on this site), great mountain biking and 4WD (four wheel driving), gold panning, hunting and trout fishing.  Do make sure you have the right permits and licences though.

Don’t miss the Reefton Goldfields Journey – a self discovery experience through the historic goldmining sites of Waiuta, Big River, Murray Creek Goldfields and Kirwan’s.  There’s a great Reefton brochure which outlines this wonderful journey down memory lane – take one day or several, it’s up to you.  Some parts are accessible by car – others only by walking, biking or 4WD.

Bird watchers will see tuis, bellbirds, tomtits and robins for sure, and may see kea (our giant green alpine parrots), kaka, red and yellow crowned parakeets, and at night you might even be lucky enough to hear great spotted kiwi calling to each other.

You can stay in Department of Conservation (DoC) huts overnight on some of the more popular walks, and there is a fully equipped lodge at Waiuta.  All these must be pre-booked and passes for them obtained from DoC.  Otherwise trampers need to be self sustaining. 

Contact the Reefton Visitor Centre 03 7328 391 or www.reefton.co.nz  for more information on any activities and prices.

Hot springs and the Lewis Pass National Reserve

And further down the Lewis Pass you can enjoy a soak or Japanese bath and massage at Maruia Springs or one of the many walks in the Lewis Pass National Reserve.

Some Reefton History:

Reefton knows what boom and bust means.  Early in its history rich gold seams were found at Blacks Point and speculation and the linking of Reefton to the rest of the country via telegraph in 1872 did the rest.  Wheeling and dealing in shares on untested claims rocketed.  The town was nicknamed Quartzopolis as fortunes were made and lost.  Finally reality hit in 1883 with scores of ‘bubble’ companies failing in the ensuing crash.

But with mining came technology and innovation, and in August 1888 Reefton became the first place in New Zealand and the Southern Hemisphere to have a public supply of electricity, even before the fashionable suburbs of London and New York.  Hence Reefton’s name today as The Town of Light.

Transport Options

There is a wide choice of shuttles and other services to all regions.  The Reefton Visitor Centre is your best source of  for up-to-date schedules of companies, routes, prices and bookings.  You may find the travel distance guide below, helpful.