Reefton is the West Coast's only inland town, set on the river flats of the Inangahua between the Paparoa and Victoria ranges where gold-bearing quartz reefs were struck in 1870. Once nicknamed Quartzopolis for the dozens of mines that worked the surrounding hills, in 1888 it became the first town in the southern hemisphere with a public electricity supply, lit ahead of London and New York. Today the heritage main street, the Bearded Miners' gold-panning hut and Victoria Forest Park on its doorstep keep that mining history alive.
Reefton is the West Coast's only inland town, set on the river flats of the Inangahua between the Paparoa and Victoria ranges where gold-bearing quartz reefs were struck in 1870. Once nicknamed Quartzopolis for the dozens of mines that worked the surrounding hills, in 1888 it became the first town in the southern hemisphere with a public electricity supply, lit ahead of London and New York. Today the heritage main street, the Bearded Miners' gold-panning hut and Victoria Forest Park on its doorstep keep that mining history alive.
Reefton is in the West Coast region of New Zealand.
Reefton has an estimated population of around 1,000 (Stats NZ estimate).
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