According to the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, the name comes from when a band of Ngāi Tahu warriors in search of greenstone were about to attack Ngāti Wairangi pā.

The chief of the invaders drowned while trying to cross the Hokitika River, and the leaderless taua (army) then returned directly to their own home.

[3] The land where Hokitika stands was purchased in 1860 from Māori when Poutini Ngāi Tahu chiefs signed the Arahura Deed.

[4] Members of the Jewish community ran stores and businesses and built a synagogue in Tancred St.[7] One of them, John Lazar, was appointed Town Clerk in 1866 and was a prominent Freemason.

In 1867, the port of Hokitika ranked first in New Zealand in both the number of vessels entered inwards and in the total value of exports; principally gold.

The funeral was led by Roman Catholic Father William Larkin and a Celtic Cross was erected in the Hokitika Cemetery.

[10] In October 1941, three Hokitika police officers (and a policeman stationed in the neighbouring locality of Kaniere), along with a field instructor for the Canterbury education board, were killed when a local farmer, Stanley Graham, went on a shooting rampage and killed seven people, including two armed Home guard personnel.

Hokitika has an oceanic climate, with mild summers, cool winters, and rainfall evenly distributed across the year.

Nearby Hokitika Gorge is a popular short tourist walk, with vibrant blue water and a "swing" (metal rope suspension) bridge.

It has become a major tourist stop on the West Coast's main highway route, with carving of greenstone an important local industry.

[18] Another important industry is dairying, with Westland Milk Products having its headquarters and main processing plant in the town.

[20] Hokitika has a 3D digital cinema,[21] the Regent Theatre,[22] due to volunteer hours[23] and grants from the Lions foundation, Lottery's commission, Development West Coast through the Major District Initiative[24] and pub charity.

The Art Deco theatre is a heritage building and narrowly avoided being demolished, thanks to a last-minute coup in the management committee.

In the early 1940s, the Vulcan railcars were introduced and they provided a twice-daily service between Ross and Christchurch via Hokitika.

The mixed trains continued to operate until 1967, and all passenger services to Hokitika ceased when the Vulcan railcars stopped running past Greymouth in 1972.

[citation needed] Since then, the line to Hokitika has been freight only with traffic primarily coming from Westland Milk Products.

A boom period ensued when Hokitika was second only to Auckland, with reports of over 40 ships in the harbour at one time, with more waiting offshore.

Air Travel carried passengers, mail and freight south from Hokitika to the glaciers and remote landing strips beyond Haast and north up to Westport.

[34] The Hokitika District High School provided both primary and secondary education for the area for many years.