It is located to the west of Taumarunui in the area known as the King Country, in inland Manawatū-Whanganui.

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place which is uncovered" for Ōhura.

[3] In July 2020, the name of the locality was officially gazetted as Ōhura by the New Zealand Geographic Board.

A proud piece of the town is the Ohura Museum which provides a repository for much of the history of Ōhura and the surrounding area.

Te Rukirangi Marae and Papakainga meeting house is located in Ōhura.

[6] It is the tribal meeting ground of the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of Te Rukirangi.

[22] Ōhura had passenger and goods trains on the Stratford–Okahukura Line run by the Public Works Department (PWD) from 18 December 1926, when the Public Works Minister, Kenneth Williams, officially opened the Okahukura line, from its previous railhead at Toi Toi.

[23] In 1927 Carroll & O'Reilly started building the 40 ft (12 m) x 30 ft (9.1 m) goods shed, cart access, loading bank (extended for 4 wagons in 1959) and stockyards for £1168 and in 1928 S Bone started work on the station buildings for £9689.

[24] The Mayors of Taumarunui and Stratford held the ribbon on 7 November 1932, when the last spike was driven at Heao by the Prime Minister, George Forbes, and the Minister of Public Works, Gordon Coates, then drove the first train as the ribbon was cut.

[25] Ōhura was no longer a terminal once the final 31.4 km (19.5 mi) Tāngarākau–Ōhura section, including 12 tunnels,[26] opened on Monday, 12 December 1932 and trains began running the length of the line, though limited to 20 mph (32 km/h) on the new section.

[29] Ōhura had a stationmaster and there was an engine shed, a passing loop for 66 wagons and 2 railway houses were added in 1956.

[30] Mixed trains and Auckland-New Plymouth railcars called at Ōhura until they stopped running in 1970 and 1971 respectively, after which a daily New Plymouth–Taumarunui return trip, usually a DC locomotive, coach and van[31] (though sometimes a railcar),[32] carried newspapers, mail, parcels, small goods lots and an average of around a dozen passengers on weekdays[31] until it stopped running on 21 January 1983.