Reefton sits in a basin of the Inangahua River valley with the rugged Victoria ranges on one side and the Paparoa ranges on the other.  It is one of the key entrances to the northern West Coast or Buller region and only three hours from Christchurch, Nelson, Blenheim and the glaciers.

Reefton's history

Reefton was part of the 1860s gold rush on the coast with miners travelling the length and breadth of the Coast, seeking those elusive gold nuggets.  Following the discovery of gold bearing quartz reefs at Blacks Point, Reefton became an estsablished town servicing the serious hard rock gold mining in the surrounding Reefton goldfields.

Built substantially between 1870 and 1880, the town quickly became an entrepreneurial and prosperous place because with the mining came technology and innovation.  This led to Reefton becoming in August 1888, the first place in New Zealand and the Southern Hemisphere to have a public supply of electricity - hence Reefton is known today as 'the town of light'.

Reefton today

Many of our original wooden buildings from the 1870s remain, servicing the town 130 years on including a number of shops on Reefton's main street, Broadway, which have been carefully adapted for today's use. Our guided heritage walk around the town takes you past many of these buildings including the Reefton School of Mines, Reefton Courthouse and Oddfellows Hall.

We're well known with holiday-makers for our hot and dry summers and also well known for our frosty and often foggy winter days(!) Rainfall is a moderate 2200 mm per annum.

Visitors to our town

Reefton has the full range of accommodation from quality motels and bed & breakfast options through to some very comfortable and welcoming backpacker lodges and a well equipped camp ground right in town alongside the Inangahua River.  Our recommendations - if you're looking for a bed & breakfast, Alfresco's at the top of Broadway; Lantern Court Motels for quality motel accommodation; Bellbird Motels for a more heritage experience; and backpackers the Old Nurses Home or The Breadshop Backpackers.

There are two supermarkets in town, a healthcare centre, bookshop, Mobil garage and postal agency. Our Reefton Visitor Centre is one of New Zealand's finest, much more than the usual visitor centre, in addition to providing you with booking and information services, it offers many displays on our areas history and natural environment.

Wandering around our main streets you'll also discover an art gallery, market co-op, second-hand and curio shops and a selection of cafes and eateries where you can find some tasty food and good coffee.

Things to see and do

If you like history and the outdoors Reefton is the place for you. It's great to actively get out and explore the town and surrounding Victoria Conservation Park or you can relax with family and friends, discovering the area at a much more leisurely pace.

Two 'must do's' in town are visiting the Bearded Miners (right in the heart of Broadway) and visiting the Blacks Point Museum and stamper battery just 2km east of Reefton in Blacks Point. In town there's also the School of Mines, Bev's doll and toy museum, the powerhouse and historic Reefton walks.

Laying just behind the main street is the recreational area 'the strand', and the Inangahua River, with good swimming in the summer, and equally good fishing.  We've a wonderful 12 hole golf course, heated indoor swimming pool (sits at the lovely warm temperature of 29-30 degrees), squash and tennis courts, children's play parks and the recently built, impressive roller park.

Victoria Conservation Park

Victoria Conservation Park, New Zealand's largest at 180,000 ha, surrounds Reefton.  It was established for its beech forests and the many remnant 19th and 20th century historic gold and coal mining sites.

The Park offers lots of outdoor opportunities from short leisurely walks along one of the old gold miners tracks, to serious and challenging back country routes deep in the Victoria ranges.  Mountain biking is permitted on most of our tracks and we've got plenty of 4WD roads to test those off-road skills.  The areas diverse forest types including beech and beech / podocarp mixes, abundant birdlife, and good access, make the park a recreational and sporting paradise.

Visit the Reefton Visitor Centre for more information and details on all the things we have to offer in this area.