English
Reefton
From reef + -ton, referring to reefs of gold.
Formed from reef + -ton
Proto-Indo-European *h₁rebʰ- ‘arch, ceiling, cover’
Proto-Germanic *ribją ‘rib, reef’
Old Norse rif ‘rib, reef’
Middle English rif
English reef
The story
Both places have a history of gold mining.
Today it means
name A small town in Buller district, West Coast, New Zealand.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Reefton