Ohura
Encyclopedia
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is located to the west of Taumarunui
Taumarunui
Taumarunui is a town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 4 and the North Island Main Trunk Railway....
in the area known as the King Country
King Country
The King Country is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from the Kawhia Harbour and the town of Otorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of the Whanganui River in the south, and from the Hauhungaroa and Rangitoto Ranges in the east to near the Tasman...
, in inland Manawatu-Wanganui
Manawatu-Wanganui
Manawatu-Wanganui is a region in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, around the cities of Palmerston North and Whanganui. It is administered by the Horizons Regional Council.-Administration:...
. it lies on the banks of the Mangaroa River
Mangaroa River
The Mangaroa River is a river of the Wellington Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows north from the western foothills of the Rimutaka Range to the west of Lower Hutt, meeting with the Hutt River on the northern outskirts of Upper Hutt.-References:...
, a tributary of the Ohura River
Ohura River
The Ohura River is a river of the western North Island of New Zealand. It flows southward from its source close to the town of Ohura, and flows into the Whanganui River....
which is a tributary of the Whanganui River
Whanganui River
The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand.Known for many years as the Wanganui River, the river's name reverted to Whanganui in 1991, according with the wishes of local iwi. Part of the reason was also to avoid confusion with the Wanganui River in the South Island...
.
Ohura was the center for coal mining in the region with coal mines operating through to circa 1965, where previously the mines and railway network had been a major part of local industry. Today coal mining is returning to the district with many of the old originally uneconomic mines being reopened.
In the 2006 census, the population of Ohura was 165 people, a decrease of 57 since 2001.
A centre piece of the town is the Ohura Museum which provides a repository for much of the history of Ohura and the surrounding area.