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Brightwater

Brightwater is a town 20 kilometres southwest of Nelson in the South Island of New Zealand. It stands on the banks of the Wairoa River, whose appearance inspired the town's name. Brightwater was named by Alfred Saunders, the owner of a local flax mill, in 1855, but the area was settled as early as 1843.

Brightwater was the birthplace of Nobel Prize-winning scientist, the "father of nuclear physics", Sir Ernest Rutherford.

References

• Reed, A. W. (2002). The Reed Dictionary of New Zealand Place Names. Auckland: Reed Books. ISBN 0-7900-0761-4.  

Coordinates: 41°23′S 173°07′E / 41.383°S 173.117°E / -41.383; 173.117