It is situated about 25 minutes drive around the coast from New Plymouth on State Highway 45.

[3][4] The place offers popular rocky surfing spots around coastal beaches.

[5] The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place of Kato" for Ōkato.

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

[8] Ōkato has all the elements of a New Zealand rural community with sporting facilities (rugby grounds, bowling club, squash courts, tennis courts and swimming pool), Coastal Taranaki School, a police station, and a volunteer fire brigade.

This manufacturing site closed some years after merging with Egmont Co-operative Dairy.

Activities in the Ōkato area include the Stony River walkway, which has a number of locations for photographing Mt Taranaki.