Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There & Away
Buses passing through Murchison between the West Coast and Nelson/Picton are
InterCity
(
03-365 1113;
www.intercity.co.nz
)
and
Naked Bus
(
www.nakedbus.com
)
, both of which stop at Beech-
woods Cafe on Waller St, as does
Trek Express
( 0272 221 872, 0800 128 735;
www.trekexpress.co.nz
)
,
which runs frequently between Nelson and the Wangapeka/Heaphy Tracks during the
peak tramping season.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Reefton
POP 1030
For generations, Reefton's claims to fame have been mining and its early adoption of the
electricity grid and street lighting. Hence the tagline, 'the city of light'. Today, however,
it's a different story, one which starts - improbably - with the building of the world-class
Roller Park, which attracts stunt-lovers from all corners of NZ. To quote a local, 'it's more
than we deserve'. We disagree. If this many volunteers and sponsors are prepared to build
such an edgy civic amenity in a town that still looks like the set of
Bonanza,
we suggest
there's something a little bit special about this crazy little town.
Sights & Activities
With loads of crusty old buildings situated within a 200-metre radius, Reefton is a fascin-
ating town for a stroll. To find out who lived where and why, undertake the short
Heritage
Walk
outlined in the
Historic Reefton
leaflet ($1), available from the i-SITE (
Click here
),
from where you can also collect the free
Reefton
leaftlet detailing other short walks in-
cluding the
Bottled Lightning Powerhouse Walk
(40 minutes).
Surrounding Reefton is the 2060-sq-km
Victoria Forest Park
(NZ's largest forest park),
which sports diverse flora and fauna as well as hidden historic sites such as the old gold-
fields around Blacks Point. Starting (or ending) at Blacks Point, the enjoyable
Murray Creek
Track
takes five hours round trip.
Other tramps in the Forest Park include the three-day
Kirwans
or two-day
Big River Track
,
both of which can be traversed on a mountain bike. Pick up the free
Reefton Mountain
Biking ('the best riding in history')
leaflet for more information; bikes can be hired from
