The area was first settled by the Māori people early in their occupation of New Zealand.
Ngāi Tara and then Ngāti Ira settled south of Kapiti, and a number of other tribes may have lived in the area including Muaūpoko, Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Hotu.

Ngāti Toa people took control of the Porirua coast in the 1820s.
 In the 1840s the area where Plimmerton is situated was the home of Te Rauparaha, who had his main residence at Taupo Pa. Te Rauparaha was captured by 200 British troops and police on 23 July 1846 near the southern end of Motuhara Road.
A tiny historic reserve contains a cabbage tree that may be descended from the one he was said to have been captured near, and a plaque.
Over the next few years Taupo Pa was deserted and the main Ngāti Toa villages in Porirua became Takapuwahia and Urukahika.

The area was leased for farming by European settlers over the following decades.
These included William Cooper, Canington (possible Carrington), and then Levi Tandy (from 1859).
 James Walker farmed from Paremata to Plimmerton beginning in 1875.

The settlement was originally known as Taupo after the pa, and when the Horokiwi Valley Road was opened fewer travellers followed the Taua Tapu track through Taupo to Pukerua Bay.
So Pauatahanui grew at the expense of Taupo until the railway line was opened in 1885.
 
In the 1880s the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company decided to build a railway link from the capital, Wellington, to Longburn, near Palmerston North.
Several towns, including Plimmerton, were established along the way to encourage settlements that would contribute to the line's business.
John Plimmer, after whom Plimmerton was named, was a director of the company.

In 1885 the first excursion train journeyed from Wellington to Plimmerton on 3 September, and regular services began from 10 October.
With the railway's arrival, Plimmerton became accessible to holidaymakers, and evolved into a seaside resort.
Plimmerton House, a two-storied hotel, was built alongside the railway station in 1886 (and burnt down in 1907).
Sections began to be sold in 1888 and by the late 1890s Plimmerton had become a popular holiday destination.
In 1900 Plimmerton consisted of 30 summer cottages, two private hotels and one general store.

Plimmerton was originally part of Hutt County.
On 1 April 1973 the still-growing area became one of the northern suburbs of Porirua.
Though small, it was one of the most lively.
For a time it had the only active Residents' Association in the city.
The area was first settled by the Māori people early in their occupation of New Zealand. Ngāi Tara and then Ngāti Ira settled south of Kapiti, and a number of other tribes may have lived in the area including Muaūpoko, Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Hotu.
Ngāti Toa people took control of the Porirua coast in the 1820s.  In the 1840s the area where Plimmerton is situated was the home of Te Rauparaha, who had his main residence at Taupo Pa. Te Rauparaha was captured by 200 British troops and police on 23 July 1846 near the southern end of Motuhara Road. A tiny historic reserve contains a cabbage tree that may be descended from the one he was said to have been captured near, and a plaque. Over the next few years Taupo Pa was deserted and the main Ngāti Toa villages in Porirua became Takapuwahia and Urukahika.
The area was leased for farming by European settlers over the following decades. These included William Cooper, Canington (possible Carrington), and then Levi Tandy (from 1859).  James Walker farmed from Paremata to Plimmerton beginning in 1875.
The settlement was originally known as Taupo after the pa, and when the Horokiwi Valley Road was opened fewer travellers followed the Taua Tapu track through Taupo to Pukerua Bay. So Pauatahanui grew at the expense of Taupo until the railway line was opened in 1885.  
In the 1880s the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company decided to build a railway link from the capital, Wellington, to Longburn, near Palmerston North. Several towns, including Plimmerton, were established along the way to encourage settlements that would contribute to the line's business. John Plimmer, after whom Plimmerton was named, was a director of the company.
In 1885 the first excursion train journeyed from Wellington to Plimmerton on 3 September, and regular services began from 10 October. With the railway's arrival, Plimmerton became accessible to holidaymakers, and evolved into a seaside resort. Plimmerton House, a two-storied hotel, was built alongside the railway station in 1886 (and burnt down in 1907). Sections began to be sold in 1888 and by the late 1890s Plimmerton had become a popular holiday destination. In 1900 Plimmerton consisted of 30 summer cottages, two private hotels and one general store.
Plimmerton was originally part of Hutt County. On 1 April 1973 the still-growing area became one of the northern suburbs of Porirua. Though small, it was one of the most lively. For a time it had the only active Residents' Association in the city.
Plimmerton