Location
Reefton Area School is nestled in the gateway to the West Coast of the beautiful South Island of New Zealand, at the foot of the Southern Alps. Reefton is a small, rural town of 1000 people with a strong farming tradition, a legacy of gold mining and rugged West Coast individuality and values.
The West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand extends some 600 km along the Tasman Sea coast from Karamea to Haast.
Reefton is surrounded by an outdoor paradise where our students can enjoy the outdoor experience by kayaking, rafting swimming or fishing in the local rivers, or exploring old mining tracks and sites, or tramping and enjoying the natural world that is almost at their doorsteps.
Not surprisingly, given its rich environmental heritage, the West Coast of the Southern Alps boasts five of New Zealand’s fourteen national parks - Kahurangi, Paparoa, Arthur’s Pass, Westland, Mt Aspiring - along with the South West New Zealand World Heritage Area.Among the scenic treasures to be found on the West Coast are New Zealand’s highest mountains, lowest glaciers, finest lowland rainforests (with the tallest trees), wildest beaches, longest caves and most natural rivers.