Hokitika's Government Buildings are a reminder that this small West Coast town once had serious administrative weight during the gold-rush years. The architecture is restrained rather than flamboyant, but it gives the centre a historical backbone beyond the beach and jade shops.
They are worth a look while walking around town, especially if you are trying to read Hokitika as more than a pretty stop on the coast road. The appeal is context: the buildings make the old boom-town ambition visible in a place that now feels relaxed and compact.