[3] The surrounding district has a number of apple, pear, and kiwifruit orchards, as well as growing a variety of specialised crops such as hops.

Nearby beaches (such as Kaiteriteri and Mārahau) are very popular with holidaymakers, and the area around Motueka has one of the country's highest annual sunshine-hour indices.

Extensive limestone cave systems (including Harwoods Hole in the Tākaka Hill area north of Motueka) attract cavers and rock climbers.

Three ships carrying the New Zealand Company's Nelson expedition, led by Captain Arthur Wakefield, anchored at Astrolabe Roads, north of Kaiteriteri Beach—about 16 kilometres (10 mi) due north of Motueka—in October 1841.

In 1850, Motueka had "a church, various tradespeople, a general store, a doctor, a clergyman, a magistrate and a constable".

Motueka was described as "the village was laid out in small sections in the middle of a splendid bush, and had some good open land all around on which the farms were situated” in the 1850s.

A plaque on the war memorial was unveiled in 1957 to commemorate the 35 soldiers who died in WWII from the Motueka district.

To the west of the valley the land rises steeply to the Arthur and Pikiruna Ranges, and to the south the flat is broken by the gently rolling Moutere Hills.

The source of the Pearse River near Motueka is the deepest known cold-water cave in the world.

[16] Motueka has an oceanic climate (Cfb) with cool, wet winters and mild, drier summers.

St Thomas's Anglican church, located at 101 High street, was listed as a category two historic place in 1982.

[19] The former Catholic church, located at 31 High street, was listed as a category two historic place in 1982.

[20][21] St Andrew's church, located at 64 High street, was listed as a category two historic place in 1982.

[31][32] The Motueka recreation centre includes a stadium, climbing wall, a fitness lounge, a theatre facility, games room, a skating rink and netball courts.

[34] Horticulture is the main industry in the area surrounding Motueka, and the town benefits directly from this.

One owned by Australian company WD & HO Wills Holdings and the other by Rothmans International.

[4] Major employers in Motueka include: New Zealand Energy Limited is a Motueka-based company that operates small hydroelectric power stations in Haast, Fox, Ōpunake and Raetihi.

Today the Motueka Ward is represented by three councillors and includes the nearby settlements of Kaiteriteri, Mārahau, Ngātīmoti and Riwaka.

[9] The area has a local radio station, Fresh FM, which also broadcasts to Blenheim, Nelson, Tākaka and Tasman.

Within a couple of years the Motueka Air network had grown to include Nelson, Wellington and Palmerston North using additional Piper Chieftains.