48-595: Reefton is a small town in the West Coast region of New Zealand, approximately 80 km (50 mi) northeast of Greymouth , in the Inangahua River valley. Ahaura is 44 km (27 mi) south-west of Reefton, Inangahua Junction is 34 km (21 mi) to the north, Maruia is 63 km (39 mi) to the east, and the Lewis Pass is 66 km (41 mi) to the south-east. In 1888, it
96-751: A population density of 373 people per km. Reefton had a population of 927 at the 2018 New Zealand census , a decrease of 129 people (−12.2%) since the 2013 census , and a decrease of 54 people (−5.5%) since the 2006 census . There were 447 households, comprising 471 males and 456 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.03 males per female. The median age was 51.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 132 people (14.2%) aged under 15 years, 120 (12.9%) aged 15 to 29, 453 (48.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 222 (23.9%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 90.0% European/ Pākehā , 13.3% Māori , 1.0% Pasifika , 2.9% Asian , and 2.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas
144-542: A roll of 162 as of August 2024. It was formed by the merger of Reefton School and Inangahua College (earlier called Reefton District High School) in 2004. Sacred Heart School is a full primary (years 1–8) school with a roll of 27. It is a state integrated Catholic school. Both schools are coeducational. The first newspaper to be printed in Reefton was the Inangahua Herald and New Zealand Miner , which began as
192-472: A service that ran between Westport and Stillwater to connect with the West Coast Express. In 1967, all passenger services through Reefton ceased. Today, the primary traffic on the railway is coal, with multiple coal trains operating daily. The first state school in Reefton was founded in 1878, and there were once 24 schools in the area. Reefton Area School is a composite (years 1–13) school with
240-555: A twice-weekly paper in February 1872, its joint owner being Joseph Ivess , who went on to found many other newspapers. It was appearing three times a week by 1874 and became a daily in 1894. Its owner and editor from 1909 was Maud L. G. Beresford Wilkinson. Its main rival, the Inangahua Times , was established by William Joseph Potts in 1875. Potts was editor of Ahaura's Grey Valley Times in 1873, and in 1874 he started
288-741: Is also received daily in the town. West Coast, New Zealand The West Coast ( Māori : Te Tai Poutini , lit. 'The Coast of Poutini, the Taniwha ') is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island . It is administered by the West Coast Regional Council , and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini . It comprises the territorial authorities of Buller District , Grey District and Westland District . The principal towns are Westport , Greymouth and Hokitika . The region, one of
336-576: Is at Shantytown . Other towns and settlements include: The West Coast region is governed by the West Coast Regional Council. Currently, it is chaired by Peter Haddock. The subnational gross domestic product (GDP) of the West Coast was estimated at NZ$ 2,373 million in the year to March 2022, 0.7% of New Zealand's national GDP. The regional GDP per capita was estimated at $ 72,127 in the same period. The region had one of
384-907: Is in Greymouth. The region has been included in the "Top 10 Coastal Drives of the World" by Lonely Planet . The region has the only New Zealand nesting place of the kōtuku (white heron) , at the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve , visited by tours from the small farming township of Whataroa . This rare bird appears on the $ 2 coin. Over 80% of West Coast land is administered by the Department of Conservation, much of this being in National Parks. These include from north to south, parts of Kahurangi NP, Paparoa NP, parts of Arthurs Pass NP, Westland NP, parts of Aspiring NP plus
432-538: Is the least populous of New Zealand's sixteen regions. The West Coast is also the most sparsely populated region, with just 1.50 people per square kilometre (3.88 per square mile). West Coast Region had a population of 33,390 in the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 1,815 people (5.7%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 1,242 people (3.9%) since the 2013 census . There were 17,031 males, 16,245 females and 117 people of other genders in 14,793 dwellings. 2.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+ . The median age
480-562: Is the only region of New Zealand where coal mining is still widely practiced. The name Westland is used by some New Zealanders to refer to the whole of the West Coast, including Grey District , Buller District and Fiordland , and can also refer to the short-lived Westland Province of 1873–76. Fiordland is on the west coast, but is in the Southland Region rather than the West Coast Region. Inhabitants of
528-406: Is the warmest month. July is the coldest month, at 5.4 °C (41.7 °F). Reefton's average annual temperature is 11.7 °C. Due to the town's inland location, summer afternoons are often considerably warmer in Reefton than coastal locations such as Greymouth or Westport, and it is not uncommon for winter mornings to be several degrees colder; nightly inversions of temperature are common due to
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#1732798004401576-767: The Canterbury Plains and in the Firth of Thames , they have been almost completely destroyed for settlement and agriculture. Scenic areas include the Haast Pass , Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers , Hokitika Gorge , Lake Brunner , the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki , the Oparara Arches and the Heaphy Track . The region has very high rainfall due to the prevailing northwesterly wind pattern and
624-615: The Times in 1936. After James Noble the Times was run by Ernest Nicholson until it ceased publication on 6 June 1942, a casualty of war shortages. It was revived in 1946 by Reefton's Presbyterian minister Rev. C. R. (Bob) Sprackett as the Inangahua-Murchison Times , printed in Greymouth, which survived as a weekly until 1956. Locally received radio stations include repeaters of both The Hits from Greymouth and Coast FM from Westport . The Greymouth Star newspaper
672-486: The Westland Province , until the abolition of the provincial system in 1876. The West Coast gold rush between 1864 and 1867 created numerous gold rush towns such as Ōkārito, which at one time was the largest town on the West Coast but quickly almost vanished as miners moved on. After that time, the population dwindled, but the main towns that still exist had become established. Following greenstone and gold,
720-399: The 2019–2020 season, there were 150,000 milking cows on the West Coast, 3.0% of the country's total herd. The cows produced 50,700 tonnes of milk solids, worth $ 365 million at the national average farmgate price ($ 7.20 per kg). Other industries are the manufacturing and sales of greenstone jewellery, sphagnum moss gathering and stone-collection for garden landscaping. Monteith's brewery
768-616: The Inangahua Valley at an altitude of 194m, Reefton falls under the Köppen-Geiger climate classification of Cfb (Oceanic), though the town's sheltered inland location lends its climate less maritime influence than coastal areas; as such, Reefton has recorded both the extreme highest temperature of 33.7 °C (92.7 °F) and the extreme lowest temperature of -8.5 °C (16.7 °F) in the West Coast region. At an average temperature of 17.4 °C (63.3 °F), February
816-650: The South Westland World Heritage Area. Each of these parks have flora and fauna common to all areas, as well as species, like kiwi, particular to those areas. Four roads run into the West Coast Region. The main road running the length of the region is State Highway 6 . It connects to the Tasman District in the north through the Buller Gorge , and to Otago in the south via Haast Pass . Two roads connect to Canterbury to
864-647: The Taramakau River in 1864 by two Māori, Ihaia Tainui and Haimona Taukau. By the end of the year there were an estimated 1800 prospectors, many of them around the Hokitika area, which in 1866 was briefly the most populous settlement in New Zealand. The region was divided between Nelson Province and Canterbury Province from 1853: in 1873 the Canterbury portion of the region formed its own province,
912-608: The West Coast are colloquially known as "Coasters". The region reaches from Kahurangi Point in the north to Awarua Point in the south, a distance of 600 km. It has an area of 23,246 km . To the west is the Tasman Sea (which like the Southern Ocean can be very rough, with four-metre swells common), and to the east are the Southern Alps . Much of the land is rugged, with a coastal plain where much of
960-415: The area was famous across New Zealand for its richness in pounamu greenstone. Kāi Tahu traded millions of modern New Zealand dollars ' worth of the stone across New Zealand , making Te Tai Poutini one of the wealthiest regions in the country. After the arrival of Europeans, the region became famed for its vast and mostly untapped gold reserves, which historically had not been highly valued. The region
1008-420: The census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 2,658 (9.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 15,825 (56.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 8,490 (30.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $ 32,700, compared with $ 41,500 nationally. 1,956 people (7.0%) earned over $ 100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
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#17327980044011056-424: The east, State Highway 7 through Lewis Pass to North Canterbury and State Highway 73 via Arthur's Pass to Christchurch . The Midland railway line is the only railway line into the region. It links to Christchurch via Arthur's Pass. The TranzAlpine train service runs return between Christchurch and Greymouth daily and freight lines extend to Ngākawau and Hokitika . Daily passenger flights operate into
1104-585: The first town in New Zealand to receive electricity, the work of Walter Prince, and its streets were lit by commercial electricity generated by the Reefton Power Station . The power station was demolished in 1961 but the Reefton Power House Charitable Trust Inc has raised $ 4.5 million for a restructure project, and work started on buildings and a 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) water race in 2019. Located in
1152-749: The industry in the 1880s due to lack of money to develop deeper mines. Consolidated Goldfields New Zealand formed in 1896 and ran several mines. Technology was modernised and the Reefton School of Mines opened in 1887 to apply more scientific knowledge to mining. Blackwater mine operated from 1908 until 1951, when a shaft collapsed. It reopened as Snowy River mine in December 2020 and employed 60 staff, who had dug 9 km (5.6 mi) of tunnels by 2024, with plans for further expansion. Globe Progress mine produced 610,000 ounces (17 t) of gold as an opencast pit from 2007 to 2016. In 1888 Reefton became
1200-528: The length of the line since July 1942. On 3 August 1936, a railcar passenger service began operating in the morning between Hokitika and Reefton utilising small Leyland diesel railcars , but low patronage meant this service ceased to operate all the way to Reefton in August 1938. In the early 1940s, much larger Vulcan railcars were introduced to New Zealand and they provided two services to Reefton: one local service from Greymouth that terminated in Reefton, and
1248-483: The line was opened to Reefton, but it terminated on the southern bank of the Inangahua River opposite the town. Early in the 20th century, a bridge was built across the river and the present-day station established in Reefton. The line was opened beyond Reefton to Cronadun in 1908, but it was not until 5 December 1943 that the line officially became a through route to Westport , though trains had been operating
1296-532: The local geography, which encourages frequent periods of calm air. An average of 24 days per year will exceed 25 °C (77 °F); during an average winter, Reefton can expect to see 46 days of air frost and 61 days of ground frost. The Reefton area is the driest in the West Coast; this is largely due to the rain-shadow effect of the Paparoa Range. Reefton covers 2.63 km (1.02 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 980 as of June 2024, with
1344-555: The location of the Southern Alps, which give rise to heavy orographic precipitation . The rain shadow effect is responsible for the relatively arid climate of the Canterbury Plains on the other side of the Southern Alps. The region is home to Ngāi Tahu , who value it for the greenstone (pounamu) found there in abundance. The region was only occasionally visited by Europeans until the discovery of gold near
1392-583: The more remote areas of the country, is also the most sparsely populated. With a population of just 32,900 people, the West Coast is the least populous region in New Zealand. The population in the region grew by 0.4% over the year to July 2023. The region has a rich and important history. The land itself is ancient, stretching back to the Carboniferous period ; this is evident by the amount of carboniferous materials naturally found there, especially coal . First settled by Kāi Tahu in approximately 1200 AD,
1440-587: The next valuable mineral was coal. Discovered near the Buller River in the mid-1840s, mining began in earnest during the 1860s. By the 1880s coal had become the region's main industry, with mines throughout the northern half of the region, especially around Westport . Many of these continued in operation until the mid-20th century, and several survive. Timber has also long been a major industry, although in recent years there has been an uneasy balance between forestry for wood and forestry for conservation. Much of
1488-399: The population resides. It is divided into the three local government districts of (from north to south) Buller , Grey and Westland . The land is very scenic, with wild coastlines, mountains and a very high proportion of native bush , much of it native temperate rain forest . It is the only part of New Zealand where significant tracts of lowland forest remain: elsewhere, for instance on
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1536-516: The region is public land administered by the Department of Conservation and the region has some of the best remaining stands of native forest, along with a wealth of rare wildlife. Ecotourism is now an important industry, and this goes hand in hand with the conservation efforts. The West Coast region covers 23,245.52 km (8,975.15 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 34,800 as of June 2024, 0.7% of New Zealand's population. It
1584-441: The region. Air New Zealand flies between Christchurch and Hokitika and Sounds Air between Wellington and Westport. 2013 New Zealand census The 2013 New Zealand census was the thirty-third national census . "The National Census Day" used for the census was on Tuesday, 5 March 2013. The population of New Zealand was counted as 4,242,048 – an increase of 214,101 or 5.3% over the 2006 census. The 2013 census forms were
1632-519: The same as those developed for the 2011 census which was cancelled due to the February 2011 major earthquake in Christchurch . There were no new topics or questions. New Zealand's next census was conducted in March 2018 . The results from the post-enumeration survey showed that the 2013 census recorded 97.6 percent of the residents in New Zealand on census night. However, the overall response rate
1680-412: The short-lived Reefton Courier and Inangahua Advertiser which survived only to the end of the year, and was the predecessor of the Times . The Times initially appeared three times a week, but by 1891 was a daily. Potts owned the Times until his death in 1901, and his wife Mary Potts was editor from 1897 to 1905. For a short time Reefton, with a population of just 2000 and a circulation area of 4648,
1728-607: The site. A new gold mine is planned to open in 2024, it is expected to employ 100 people. Other industries in the town are coal mining, forestry, tourism and servicing the farming industry. Reefton is located at the intersection of State Highway 7 and State Highway 69 . Reefton is located on the Stillwater–Westport Line railway , which diverges from the Midland Line in Stillwater . On 29 February 1892,
1776-422: The strongest growing regional economies of New Zealand in 2022, though from a rather small base. Industries include mining for coal and alluvial gold , forestry and wood processing, fishing (including whitebaiting ), tourism and farming. Dairy farming has grown strongly – the local dairy co-operative Westland Milk Products remained independent when most others merged to form Fonterra in 2001. In
1824-472: Was $ 22,900, compared with $ 31,800 nationally. 78 people (9.8%) earned over $ 70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 306 (38.5%) people were employed full-time, 117 (14.7%) were part-time, and 24 (3.0%) were unemployed. Gold mining recommenced in 2007 when Oceana Gold opened a new mine. In 2013 it employed 260 people. The mine closed in 2016 and Oceana Gold has undertaken an environmental rehabilitation programme at
1872-424: Was 11.3, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.1% had no religion, 32.0% were Christian , 0.6% had Māori religious beliefs , 0.3% were Muslim and 1.3% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 63 (7.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 246 (30.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income
1920-563: Was 48.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 5,448 people (16.3%) aged under 15 years, 4,518 (13.5%) aged 15 to 29, 15,861 (47.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 7,563 (22.7%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 89.7% European ( Pākehā ); 13.5% Māori ; 1.6% Pasifika ; 4.0% Asian ; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 4.3% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English
1968-477: Was 92.9 percent, with a non-response rate of 7.1 percent made up of the net undercount and people who were counted in the census but had not received a form. Population counts for New Zealand regions . Note: All figures are for the census usually resident population count. The census usually resident population count of 4,242,048 included 230,649 people without an ethnic response and 4,011,399 people who identified with at least one ethnicity. The figures for
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2016-403: Was being extracted by 1872. Mining from quartz reefs only took place at Reefton and Lyell . An earlier settlement, known as Ross Town, had been established on the opposite bank of the Inangahua River around 1870, but most businesses shifted across the river in 1871 to be nearer the quartz mining. There were mines at nearby locations such as Waiuta and Blacks Point . There was a downturn in
2064-400: Was founded were "Rest Town" and "Quartzopolis". The main street, Broadway, was named after West Coast magistrate Charles Broad . The nearby Wealth of Nations mine was named after Adam Smith's book because the gold been discovered by another Adam Smith (no relation). Alluvial gold was first discovered near the town in 1866; the major discovery of gold in quartz reefs was made in 1870 and gold
2112-665: Was home to three competing daily papers: the third, the Reefton Guardian, was first published in 1888, and was bought out by the Inangahua Times in 1894. All three papers were served for more than fifty years by the compositor, editor, and publisher James Noble, who started at the Guardian and eventually became editor and publisher of the Times . The Herald succumbed to the Depression in 1936 and merged with
2160-556: Was spoken by 98.0%, Māori language by 2.3%, Samoan by 0.2% and other languages by 5.6%. No language could be spoken by 1.5% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 13.2, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 29.8% Christian , 0.6% Hindu , 0.2% Islam , 0.3% Māori religious beliefs , 0.4% Buddhist , 0.7% New Age , 0.1% Jewish , and 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 57.8%, and 9.0% of people did not answer
2208-473: Was subsequently settled by thousands of Irish Catholics after the Irish Famine , who constitute the majority of the population, alongside the indigenous Kāi Tahu and those who come from admixing between the two populations. The region was also heavily sought after by nuclear weapons states in the 1950s for its abundant resources of uranium , which many West Coasters found objectionable. The West Coast
2256-487: Was that 12,819 (45.9%) people were employed full-time, 4,101 (14.7%) were part-time, and 687 (2.5%) were unemployed. There are only four towns with a population over 1,000: Greymouth , Westport , Hokitika and Runanga . These four towns, plus Reefton (population 980), are recognised as urban areas by Statistics New Zealand. During the gold rush days, Hokitika had a population of more than 25,000 with more than 100 pubs . A recreation of an early New Zealand settlement
2304-564: Was the first town in New Zealand to be lit by electricity, generated by the Reefton Power Station . Reefton was a thriving gold mining town in the late 19th century, and gold mining lasted from the 1870s to the 1950s. Its economy is based on tourism, forestry, coal mining, and farming. Reefton is home to the Inangahua County Library. The rich veins of gold found in a quartz reef near the town led to its name, originally spelled "Reef Town". Two nicknames in use soon after it
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