Reefton

Reefton grew on quartz reef gold mining from the 1870s, and the mines needed power - so in 1888 the town built a hydro scheme on the Inangahua and switched on a public electricity supply and electric street lighting - the first public supply in the southern hemisphere. The claim is the town's identity: the power station, demolished in 1961, has been rebuilt by a local trust and began generating again in early 2026. What survives is a compact main street of nineteenth-century wooden and brick buildings, several restored, with the Bearded Miners' hut where volunteers in period dress keep a fire going and talk to visitors. The Blacks Point Museum and the Golden Fleece battery are just out of town. Around Reefton are the Victoria Forest Park, the largest forest park in the country, old mining tracks, and the Waiuta ghost town further south. It is a working town rather than a preserved one, and quiet.

History

Alluvial gold was found near the town in 1866 and gold in quartz reefs in 1870, and gold was being taken out by 1872. In 1888 Reefton became the first town in New Zealand to receive electricity, the work of Walter Prince; the power station was taken down in 1961, and the rebuilt plant began generating again in early 2026 (Wikipedia, Reefton).

Highlights

• The 1888 electricity claim - the first public supply in the southern hemisphere.
• The heritage main street - nineteenth-century wooden and brick shopfronts.
• The Bearded Miners - volunteers keeping a fire and telling the story.
• Blacks Point - the museum and the Golden Fleece battery.

When to go

Any season; the West Coast is wet year round. October to April for the walking tracks and old mining routes.

Practical notes

It is a small working town with limited dining and accommodation. The museum has restricted opening hours. Rain is frequent. Sandflies on the bush tracks.

Nearby

Victoria Forest Park surrounds it; Greymouth and Westport are each about eighty kilometres away.

Key facts