Reefton is the only inland town on the West Coast and is located among the spectacular Paparoa and Victoria Ranges. The town lies alongside the wild Inangahua River and is surrounded by the Victoria Conservation Park which at 180,000ha is New Zealand’s largest.
The Victoria Conservation Park, named after the granite ranges that run for almost all of its length, was created in recognition of its diverse, native beech forests as well as its many remnant coal and gold mining heritage sites. A distinctive feature of the park is the North Westland Wildlife Corridor – a continuous set of reserves and conservation land that allows native wildlife to from the coast to the Southern Alps. The native wildlife you can see and hear include, kea, kaka, tomtits, bellbirds, robins and tui and if you are really lucky the Great Spotted Kiwi can occasionally be heard calling at night.
The upper catchments of the Inangahua, Grey & Maruia Rivers all extend into the Victoria Conservation Park. These wild and beautiful West Coast rivers are perfect for your next rafting, kayaking, fishing or boating adventure.
As well as resting within its own stunning natural environment Reefton provides a great stopping point to launch the rest of your West Coast trip. It is centrally located at a hub of state highway access into the Coast, north from Murchison, Nelson and Blenheim and east from Christchurch. The highway system also offers easy access further north up the West Coast to Westport and Karamea, and south to Greymouth and South Westland.
