Reefton

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DescriptionReefton.
Rich veins of gold found in a quartz reef near the town led to its name, and also its former name of Quartzopolis. Gold was first discovered near the town in 1866, although the major discovery was made in 1870. Soon after, the town briefly boasted a population of several thousand. This has dwindled to less than a thousand, but with the opening of an Australian owned goldmine the population is expected to grow by several hundred. Other industries in the town are coal mining, forestry, tourism and angling.

Locally received radio stations include repeaters of both Classic Hits Scenicland FM from Greymouth and Coast FM from Westport. The Greymouth Star newspaper is also received daily in the town.Photographer Henry Thomas Lock.Date of PhotoBetween 1st January 1800 and 31st December 1899Map^[1]ContributorMargaret Elaine Sadler

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Location (city or town)ReeftonStoryReefton is located on the Stillwater–Westport Line railway, which diverges from the Midland Line in Stillwater. On 29 February 1892, 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 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 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

Category Information

Category TagCoal Mining

From Facebook

LinkReeftonCommentsJohn Rosanowski.. The thickly-gravelled street recalls that most people in those times, the 1870s walked almost everywhere. Heavy footwear was vital, and women wore boots - stylish yes, but boots nevertheless - in the streets. Even those two little girls on the right are wearing boots. In Reefton township there was a population of about 1000 people. There was only one chemist - who by the way would pull teeth while you wait - but there were no less than 8 boot and shoemakers.
William Albert Whitehead... Tom Dellaca would provide good footwear from his Broadway shop.

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Reefton

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