Opening hours
Open daily
10.00 am – 4.00 pm
Entry fee
Adults $10
Residents and children FREE
Friday 22 May 2026
Expert Talks: 11.00am and 5.30pm
Live Demonstration: 2.00pm — Wet Plate Collodion Process
Pause for the Camera brings historic photography to life through story, live demonstration, and a portrait experience. Inspired by Benno Thiem and Herbert Ponting, the programme explores photography as an act of observation, presence, and pause. From a West Coast studio to the Antarctic ice, audiences are invited to discover how photographs were once made by hand on fragile glass plates. These historic processes are presented not as relics, but as living practices that continue today. Visitors are also invited to step from observer to participant, pausing long enough to be photographed in a contemporary tintype portrait.
Saturday 23 May 2026
Portrait Experience: Tintype Portrait Sittings (by booking)
Step in front of the camera and experience the pause for yourself.
Using 19th-century methods, each 6 × 4 inch tintype is handcrafted on metal, developed while wet, and finished with a protective varnish. Each plate is a one-off original.
Portrait sittings are available for individuals and couples.
Limited sessions available
• 6 × 4 inch tintype — $80
Larger commissioned plates available by arrangement.
15 June 2026 – 22 November 2027 | Gallery 4
Chris Weaver: Teapot Meditations
Hokitika artist Chris Weaver presents Teapot Meditations, a series of ceramic works that reimagine the familiar teapot as a form for reflection and quiet attention. Spanning his lifetime of practice, the exhibition brings together works that reflect an enduring commitment to clay, process, and place.
With dark, iron-like surfaces and grounded forms, these pieces draw on the textures and tones of the West Coast landscape. Weaver’s practice combines traditional pottery techniques with a contemporary sensibility, creating works that sit between function and sculpture.
Weaver’s practice is grounded in a lifelong engagement with clay, returning to the material as both a discipline and a form of inquiry. His work reflects a sensitivity to weight and balance, where form is resolved through making rather than imposed design. Time plays a central role, with surfaces developing depth through repeated firing and subtle variations in glaze. He embraces the unpredictability of the kiln, allowing chance to inform the final outcome. Forms are often revisited and refined over years, creating a quiet continuity across his body of work.
Weaver’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and is held in public and private collections in New Zealand and overseas. In 2024, a major survey exhibition, Teapot Meditations: The Practical Poetry of Chris Weaver, was presented by Objectspace, bringing together over three decades of his practice.
Teapot Meditations invites visitors to slow down and look closely — to consider the beauty of everyday objects and the process of making that brings them into being.
Ngā Whakatūranga
Our exhibitions present the diverse histories and cultures of Te Tai Poutini – the West Coast. Each gallery offers a unique perspective on the people and places that have shaped our region.
Our Mana Whenua Gallery shares the stories of Ngāti Waewae and Ngāti Māhaki ki Makaawhio, focusing on the Arahura Land Deed, their connection to this land, and their traditions of whakapapa, tikanga, and pounamu. It also explores how the deed affected their lives and relationship with the land
The West Coast History Gallery traces the region’s journey through exploration, gold rushes, and community life. It tells stories of discovery, resilience, and change — from early surveyors and settlers to the industries and events that shaped life on Te Tai Poutini.
The Temporary Gallery hosts changing exhibitions that highlight local stories, contemporary artists, and national touring shows.
The Children’s Gallery – Te Ara Tamariki through art invites younger visitors to explore West Coast stories through play, creativity, and discovery.
Current Exhibitions
Explore our latest exhibitions celebrating the people, places and histories of Te Tai Poutini - the West Coast.
Featured Exhibtions
Benno Thiem: A Quiet Eye presents photographs of Hokitika and the West Coast, capturing everyday life and changing landscapes. His work offers a quiet, observant record of place and time.
Submit Your Exhibition Proposal
Have an idea for an exhibition?
Submit your proposal.
Rapu i te Kohinga
Hokitika Museum uses EMu, a professional museum cataloguing system, to record and manage its collection. Explore our online database to discover taonga, photographs, and objects that tell the stories of the West Coast. The collection continues to grow as staff and volunteers catalogue and research more of the museum’s treasures.
You can also explore stories behind some of our favourite objects, revealing the people, places, and moments that shaped them.
Rangahau
We hold an excellent range of books, photographs, and archives about the history of our region. The collection is for reference only, but you’re welcome to bring a camera to copy material, or we can scan and copy items for you for a small fee. You can contact us here.
We also offer family research services, assisting visitors to access our collections or carrying out research on their behalf for a small fee.
Our curatorial team researches the provenance, significance, and stories behind objects — connecting them to the people, places, and events that shaped the West Coast. This research supports our exhibitions, publications, and education programmes, enriching the visitor experience and helping future generations understand and appreciate our shared history.
Our researcher team can help you locate information you are looking for and suggest other lines of enquiry.
All you need to do is book an appointment in advance so we can ensure staff and resources available to assist you. Charges apply for all research undertaken. Our charges are detailed here.
Before you visit the Research Centre, check out these online research tools to see what you can find out about the subject or person you are researching.
Rangitaki
Our museum blogs share stories from behind the scenes — from collection discoveries and exhibition insights to local histories and community projects. Written by our staff, Friends of the Museum and Volunteers, each post offers a glimpse into the work that brings Hokitika’s heritage to life.
Kaitūao
Volunteers are at the heart of Hokitika Museum. They help care for our collections, welcome visitors, and share the stories that make our community unique. Volunteering offers a chance to learn new skills, connect with local history, and be part of a friendly team preserving the West Coast’s heritage for future generations.
Welcoming visitors to Hokitika Museum
Where Every Visit Begins
Cataloguing of our collection
Back of House
Caring for collection items
Expertise Care
