Just south of Levin on State Highway 1, Ōhau is a semi-rural village where family homes, lifestyle blocks and local growers sit between the Ōhau River and the foothills of the Tararua Range. It has grown steadily, from 543 residents in 2013 to 771 in 2023, and Stats NZ estimated around 810 by mid-2025.
Ōhau has a strong small-community feel. Ōhau School teaches Years 1 to 8, with a roll of about 150, and its 2024 Education Review Office report found students engaged and most achieving well in reading and maths. Ōhau Hall hosts the Ōhau Market on the third Saturday of the month for much of the year, and Kikopiri Marae is a meeting place for Ngāti Raukawa hapū.
Local producers are part of the character here. Ōhau Wines on Bishops Road has been making wine since 2009, and you will find gourmet mushrooms on Muhunoa West Road and seasonal strawberries on McLeavey Road in early summer.
Ōhau is one of the best bases near Levin for getting into the hills. The Poads Road carpark, about 15 minutes from Levin, is the start of the Ōhau Gorge Track, an easy three to five hour return walk into Tararua Forest Park, and the Waiopehu Track, a full-day climb to Waiopehu Hut on Te Araroa.
Closer to home, Kimberley Reserve on Kimberley Road is a bush setting beside the Ōhau River with swimming spots, walking tracks, picnic areas, and camping from December to April with a council permit. The river is also known for brown trout.
Towards the ranges, the rural locality of Muhunoa East lies between the Ōhau River and the Makorokio Stream. It had 126 residents in 45 homes at the 2023 census and is part of the wider Kimberley statistical area, where 78 per cent of households owned their home or held it in a family trust. Lifestyle and rural buyers should check legal access, water supply, wastewater and any river or stream hazards.
Ōhau works for families who want a village school and more space, and for lifestyle buyers who want land and the outdoors within a short drive of Levin’s shops and services. The new Ōtaki to north of Levin highway, due for completion in 2029, will change how traffic moves through the area, so it is worth understanding the route if you are buying near it.
Buyers will want to understand the land, the water and wastewater set-up and how the property connects to Levin and the highway. Having that information ready makes a real difference. Ask us for a free appraisal based on the closest comparable sales.
Ray White Levin sells homes and lifestyle properties in Ōhau. Meet the team or call 06 367 0661. Further south, see Manakau and Waikawa Beach.