Murray Creek Track
The Murray Creek Track is a looped trail at the foot of Victoria Forest Park, just a few minutes south of Reefton. Along the six-mile trek, you will hike under a canopy of beech trees amid bright green ferns, passing through the former gold-rush towns of Inglewood and Axel. You can stop in each town to see rusted artifacts, like mine shafts and stamp batteries, that blend in with the terrain.
Waiuta
Waiuta is a ghost town 30 minutes south of Reefton where you can walk among the abandoned homes of a once-thriving mining town that shut down in the 1950s. Look for pictures and plaques near the buildings that show how Waiuta looked at the height of the gold rush.
Bottled Lightning Powerhouse Walk
Near downtown Reefton, the 1.2-mile Bottled Lightning Powerhouse Walk runs alongside the Inangahua River at the town’s original power station. You can follow the trail to see old hydroelectric equipment and signage that explain how the historic station kick-started Reefton’s electric system in 1888 — the first place in the Southern Hemisphere to have public street lighting.