HOKITIKA.
THE BIRTH OF THE BOROUGH.
NAMING ITS STREETS.
(Read before Hokitika Beautifying Association).
TOWN HALL, August 23rd, 1921.
It has been a very pleasant duty to endeavour to follow up the suggestion made by Mr G. Davidson a couple of months ago, to trace out the naming of the streets of Hokitika. The information gathered has come from various sources. Mr A. J. Harrop, of Christchurch, has helped with some notes. Also, while tarrying lately in Christchurch came the good fortune to be introduced to the Librarian (Mr Bell) of that City, and by him was given access to some of the earliest records of both the Canterbury and Westland Provincial Councils, and by this means the information now supplied becomes more authentic.
Hokitika in point of fact, has quite a romantic history, and the task still remains of compiling that history and presenting a volume of unusual public interest. From the many volumes of works on New Zealand in general a mass of matter could be collected, and the story of the town would be as interesting as it would be instructive and romantic.
Hokitika is a native name, and was applied to the locality before Europeans came this way. Originally it was spelt Okatika, and as such, is recorded on the earlier maps. It is a word of two syllables: “Hoki”—to return, and “Tika”—straight, direct, in a direct manner. It appears to have derived its name when the Native tribes were searching for the much coveted greenstone. The Hokitika river was the point beyond which greenstone could not be found, and having come this far the injunction given by the name was “to return direct” further search being fruitless. As to the pronunciation of the word, that given by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales when here is the more correct and embraces the two syllables as given above, but with equal value (in sound) to each, thus Hoki-tika.
West Coasters dearly love their land. Westlanders do so in particular and there is a quotation from Hochstetter given in E. W. Payton's work published in 1888 “Round about New Zealand” which is quoted (as adapted) to suit our beloved Westland:
"Was it the ties of friendship that I found there? or was it the grandeur and peculiarity of the natural features of a country appearing in its isolation like a world of its own, that attracted me so strongly? I cannot say; but I will still look back with enthusiasm to my stay in Westland."
Westland was separated from Canterbury in 1867 and became a separate province. As leading up to this, Revd. James Buller (the first Methodist clergyman to visit Hokitika) in his “Forty Years in New Zealand,” gives some interesting notes. But Mr Buller was not the first priest here—he gives that distinction to the Roman Catholic
