Reefton Bearded Miners & Biking in Westport - New Zealand's Biggest Gap Year – BackpackerGuide.NZ
Day 101: Today we are seeing the Reefton Bearded Miners then hitting the road to go mountain biking in Westport as part of our 365 Days: 365 Activities in New Zealand!
Yesterday - Day 100 ➜
Tomorrow – Day 102 ➜
30 Tips for Backpacking in New Zealand ➜
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It’s our last day in Reefton and we cannot leave without visiting the recommended Bearded Miners of Reefton. Their Bearded Miners sign is just along Broadway, which is the main street of Reefton on the West Coast, South Island.
The bearded miners are some old bearded dudes who used to work in the mines of the Reefton area. It’s a unique way to learn about mining and the area of Reefton. We do some gold panning in Reefton as our bearded miner shows us how, and learn more about finding gold.
Talking to the bearded miners in Reefton is just a gold coin donation.
We now hit the road between Reefton and Westport. This trip takes us through the Buller Gorge, one of the most beautiful roads on the South Island of New Zealand. After driving the Buller Gorge Road we arrive in Westport on the West Coast where we check into Bazils Hostel. We are recommended to go check out the Kawatiri Bike Trails at the Kawatiri Beach Reserve so we hire some mountain bikes from Bazils Hostel and hit the mountain bike trails in Westport.
We do some fun mountain biking in Westport on the Kawatiri bike trails which line North Beach in Westport. The trails go through the forest and emerge on the beach in sections.
#BackpackerGuideNZ #WestCoastNZ #NewZealand #TravelNewZealand #NZMustDo
After our bike Westport experience we head back to Bazils Hostel.
So what do you think of the Reefton Bearded Miners? And what about biking in Westport? Let us know in the comments.
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-- New Zealand Biggest Gap Year --
365 Days: 365 Activities
BackpackerGuide.NZ is New Zealand’s biggest online travel guide for adventure and budget travel in New Zealand. Join us, as the team behind BackpackerGuide.NZ, Robin and Laura, update the travel guide while taking on 365 Days: 365 Activities in New Zealand! It’s New Zealand’s Biggest Gap Year! We release new videos of the New Zealand adventure every single day, as well as New Zealand travel tips and 360 videos every Sunday so start making your New Zealand bucket list!
Read more about the Reefton Bearded Miners and Biking in Westport on New Zealand’s biggest guide for backpackers:
-- More about Reefton and Westport –
6 Best Backpacker Hostels in Westport ➜
Westport – Guide for Backpackers ➜
15 Awesome Things to Do in Reefton ➜
I Found This In Reefton New Zealand
I head down to the South Island of New Zealand to Reefton, which became the first town in New Zealand and the Southern Hemisphere to receive electricity. We explore the Power Station ruins.
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REEFTON - NEW ZEALAND - NICE CLASSIC TOWN
REEFTON - NEW ZEALAND - NICE CLASSIC TOWN - Out For a drive to join a Family Gathering to see an Aunty and Reefton is the Town to Visit.
Kiwis Fly the Coop in Reefton
Just a short 45 min (59km) drive from Nelson Creek is the small township of Reefton. Now I say small, but this wee town sure packs a punch when it comes to its history.
Reefton - The Town of Light
This small unassuming settlement proudly boasts its own 'claim to fame'.
In 1888 Reefton became the first town in New Zealand (in fact the entire Southern Hemisphere) to receive commercial electricity, generated by the Reefton Power Station. This was even before the more fashionable locations such as New York and London.
We were keen on spending some time in Reefton to find out more about our next 'small town NZ' destination.
After parking the caravan up at the Reefton Motor Camp, we set out on foot to see just what this town has to offer.
- The Powerhouse Walk
- Bearded Miners
- Reefton Distilling Co
- Alborns Walk
- Historic Buildings Walk
- Reefton Lookout
These were are a few tantalising things to discover during our stay in Reefton. Check out our next video on the Ghost Town of Waiuta.
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Reefton Flyover
Drone Videography from Blackspoint down the Inangahua River to Reefton
Kerwins (the everlasting downhill) MTB, Reefton New Zealand
Footage of a recent Heli bike a couple buddies and I did the other weekend, Very muddy and slippery but very fun. Recommended
New Zealand, Reefton, Waipuna Caves, 4WD trip
Mountain Biking in Reefton for DAY 100! - New Zealand's Biggest Gap Year – BackpackerGuide.NZ
Day 100: To celebrate making to it to Day 100 for our 365 Days: 365 Activities in New Zealand, we are mountain biking in Reefton on the West Coast of the South Island!
Yesterday - Day 99 ➜
Tomorrow – Day 101 ➜
30 Tips for Backpacking in New Zealand ➜
-- About this video --
Wahoo! We made to day 100 of New Zealand’s Biggest Gap Year! Only 265 days to go! What better way to celebrate than mountain biking in Reefton?
How did we get to mountain biking in Reefton? Well the journey here was thanks to a bunch of friendly locals who are super keen to show us what their small town on the West Coast of the South Island is famous for. We go on a walking tour of Reefton with our hostel host from the Old Breadshop Backpackers, who introduces to a bunch of locals around town.
One thing leads to another and we are having drinks at the Broadway Tearooms having a conversation with a guy who wants to show us one of the mountain biking trails in Reefton. We are in!
Reefton boasts one of the best places for mountain biking in New Zealand with a huge range of trails close to the town. After picking up some bikes from the Reefton Sports Centre, we hit the Lookout Track.
We make our way up this hill at the back of Reefton to a lookout and then do some downhill mountain biking on the Zigzag Track in Reefton.
We downhill mountain bike all the way back to Reefton while crossing the Reefton swing bridge. Once we get back to our hostel, we are invited to go to a quiz night at the local pub.
So what do you think of mountain biking in Reefton? And have you had any friendly New Zealand locals experiences? Let us know in the comments.
#BackpackerGuideNZ #WestCoastNZ #NewZealand #TravelNewZealand #NZMustDo #MTB
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-- New Zealand Biggest Gap Year --
365 Days: 365 Activities
BackpackerGuide.NZ is New Zealand’s biggest online travel guide for adventure and budget travel in New Zealand. Join us, as the team behind BackpackerGuide.NZ, Robin and Laura, update the travel guide while taking on 365 Days: 365 Activities in New Zealand! It’s New Zealand’s Biggest Gap Year! We release new videos of the New Zealand adventure every single day, as well as New Zealand travel tips and 360 videos every Sunday so start making your New Zealand bucket list!
Read more about Mountain Biking in Reefton on New Zealand’s biggest guide for backpackers:
-- More about mountain biking and Reefton on the West Coast –
Mountain Biking in Reefton ➜
West Coast – Guide for Backpackers ➜
15 Awesome Things to Do in Reefton ➜
Hordes of bugs and old gold mines in New Zealand's Coromandel! Episode 6 - A Journey in the Dark
Finally making it to New Zealand's beautiful Coromandel region, we spend the day on our feet, trekking through the local area of Broken Hills, exploring deserted gold mines, finding native creepy crawlies and generally annoying the hell out of each other, as always! And then, we crash a very expensive piece of equipment.....
Garveys Road Reefton 2011
A great piece of road for skids, This is the access road to one of the coal mines in Reefton on the West Coast
The opening of our first pit.
Greid gold mining on West Coast of New Zealand. The very beginnings of our mine, using rented equipment.
McKay Twins Reefton
A morning catching up with the McKay twins in Reefton , West Coast NZ. Extensive local history buffs, Community spirited with a vast array of hobbies and interests
Waiuta - NZ's Ghost Town
Located 21 km south of Reefton in Ikamatua, Waiuta was the location of a historic gold mining town. Unlike many of the old mining sites we've visited throughout the West Coast, Waiuta has a more recent history.
History
Now abandoned, it is considered one of NZ's most popular ghost towns. Gold was mined in the area for decades before they hit the 'motherload'. The first gold Quartz Reef was found in 1905 and the first mine shaft operated in 1908 called the Blackwater Shaft (593m deep!). The mine was extended in 1926 with the opening of the Prohibition Shaft (a whopping 879m deep)which is a short drive further up the hill. The mine produced 750,000 ounces of gold and by the early 1920s, a town was beginning to form.
We spent the entire day in Waiuta, following in the footsteps of those miners and their families and picturing just what their lives must have looked like.
We took the walk to Snowy Creek Battery and the old powerhouse that used to supply electricity to the entire town.
Click on the link below to read more on what we saw and experienced in Waiuta and Reefton.
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SFRQ 2017 'SPEK' VIDEO
REEFTON AREA SCHOOL BAND CALLED 'SPEK' PERFORMING 2 ORIGINAL SONGS.
THE BAND WAS FORMED ROUGHLY ABOUT 2 MONTHS BEFORE THE ROCK QUEST WEST COAST 2017 HAPPENED ON THE 7 th JULY 2017.
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New Zealand Part V
This segment covers a trip to Reefton a historic gold town famous for being the first place to have electricity and lights in the southern hemisphere (1888), then to watch a bit of a local Rugby match....After that we went on a beautiful walk at Cape Foulwind, followed by a walk at a unique spot called Pancake Rocks. (Aptly named)
Prospecting near Double Helix in the Buller NZ
A day spent prospecting for caves near Charleston. Found one fairly interesting lead and another short one. Then we popped into a known cave (called?) and finally visited the upper section of Te Tahi.
Reefton Distilling Co. Little Biddy Gin
Follow in the footsteps of Reefton Distilling Co.’s ambassadors, botanical and water prospectors Nigel and Steffan McKay, and enter the world of Reefton legend Little Biddy, the inspiration behind Reefton Distilling Co.’s Little Biddy Gin range.
Bridget Goodwin, also known as “Little Biddy” or “Biddy of the Buller”, defined the word 'rebel' a pipe-smoking, gin-toting, 4-foot-tall goldminer.
Our search for native botanicals takes us deep into the same West Coast rainforest where Biddy once fossicked for gold, to craft a uniquely New Zealand selection of small batch distilled gins with attitude.
The untamed wilderness of the New Zealand West Coast is breath-taking, the flora and fauna like nothing else in the world. Dense green rainforests make for ideal foraging environments, rich with botanical gold.
Our distillery is housed in one of Reefton’s original buildings which has been carefully restored to accommodate our working distillery, tasting bar and retail store. From here we produce a range of premium quality spirits including our Little Biddy West Coast botanical gin range created in honour of Little Biddy.
The hills surrounding our distillery are rich in aromatics, if you know where to look. Our search takes us deep into the densely forested West Coast region and to local gardens where we forage for native leaves, flowers and berries.
Our Little Biddy Black Label Dry Gin and our Little Biddy Gold Label West Coast Botanical Dry Gin is characterised by a backbone of distilled local grain spirit, wild water, and hand harvested native botanicals, boasting an elevated sophistication that is truly divine.
Displaying a botanical intensity reminiscent of the loftiest heights of the West Coast rainforest and the purest depths of the wild water feeding it. Foraged Watercress, Snow Moss, Kahikatea tips, and Toatoa all deliver a soulful aromatic experience.
Like its namesake, Little Biddy Botanical Dry Gin, is robust and hardworking with a striking aromatic bite. Native Toatoa endures the harshest winter conditions without losing its fresh, vibrant tannic character. Blended with elusive Tarata, Horopito, Rimu, and majestic Douglas fir, this is a versatile and easy drinking gin with a complex palette of spiced citrus and warm resin.
Reefton Distilling Co.’s Little Biddy Gin is New Zealand’s only West Coast Botanical Gin.
Visit us at to learn more.
Gold Mining NZ (Mal's Gold Adventures)Feb 2018
Adventure at a mates claim near Reefton,not much gold but rich in adventure!
Waiuta Ghost Town, New Zealand
On the last day of our West Coast trip we visited Waiuta, a so called ghost town left over after the gold mine closed down and most of the buildings were broken down and transported out of there to the surrounding area.
Waiuta is about halfway between Greymouth and Reefton, well worth a look if you're in the area and wanting to see the remains of an old gold mining town.
We didn't have time to explore the whole area as we were travelling back to Christchurch at the time so we missed out on some of the walks and other remains in the area.
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The Methven Walkway – New Zealand's Biggest Gap Year – Backpacker Guide New Zealand
Day 212: Today we’re checking out a walk in Methven that’s accessible right from the town. It’s the Methven Walkway! Check out one of the free things to do in Methven, New Zealand!
Yesterday - Day 211 ➜
Tomorrow – Day 213 ➜
30 Tips for Backpacking in New Zealand ➜
-- About this video --
Today we are doing the Methven Walkway. It’s a 11km walk around Methven town and surrounding area and also one of the free things to do in Methven. The walkway takes us through a mix of pine forest, along farm paddocks, and the vibrant blue canal - all the while having the view of Mt Hutt and the Southern Alps in the backdrop. It’s the perfect example of man’s modification of the Canterbury Plains. If you’re looking for a Methven walk or a Canterbury Plains walk, then the Methven Walkway is worth considering. This is one of the walks of Canterbury New Zealand.
So what do you think of this Methven hike? Would you add hiking in Methven to your Methven travel itinerary? LUK in the comments!
#TravelNewZealand #BackpackerGuideNZ #Methven #NewZealandVlog #NewZealand #NZMustDo
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-- New Zealand Biggest Gap Year --
365 Days: 365 Activities
BackpackerGuide.NZ is New Zealand’s biggest online travel guide for adventure and budget travel in New Zealand. Join us, as the team behind BackpackerGuide.NZ, Robin and Laura, update the travel guide while taking on 365 Days: 365 Activities in New Zealand! It’s New Zealand’s Biggest Gap Year! We release new videos of the New Zealand backpacking adventure every single day, as well as New Zealand travel tips and 360 videos every Sunday so start making your New Zealand bucket list!
Read more about tracks in Methven in New Zealand’s biggest guide for backpackers:
-- More Things to Do in Methven New Zealand –
5 Best Backpacker Hostels in Methven ➜
5 Methven Must-Dos ➜
17 Places to Jet Boat in New Zealand ➜