Ohai, Southland Map

About Ohai, Southland

Ohai is a locality in the Southland Region of New Zealand. It is a small community with a population of 303. It sits at an elevation of around 233 m above sea level. It lies approximately 62 km north-northwest of Invercargill, the regional capital. Ohai is located at 45.9167°S, 167.9500°E. It observes New Zealand Time (NZST/NZDT). Statistics New Zealand classifies the area as a rural settlement.

Ohai rests on a broad plain, its foundations laid in the rich, dark earth of Southland. It lies 61.9 km north-north-west of Invercargill (from Invercargill: bearing 330°T), and is situated 26.2 km north of Otautau. The land here rolls with a gentle, almost imperceptible gradient, a landscape sculpted by ancient forces rather than dramatic upheavals. To the north, the White Range rises, a modest yet persistent presence on the horizon, its slopes often softened by distance and the hazy light of late afternoon. The air, particularly in the cooler months, carries a crispness that speaks of its inland position, a clean sharpness that invigorates the senses. Vast expanses of pasture, a verdant carpet stitched with the darker green of hedgerows, stretch out in every direction, punctuated by the occasional cluster of farm buildings.

The history of Ohai is entwined with the earth it occupies, its economy historically tethered to the rhythms of agriculture and resource extraction. For generations, the land has yielded its bounty, primarily through dairy farming, where the rich soil and ample rainfall have fostered a prosperous industry. The shadows of past coal mining endeavours also linger, a reminder of a different era when the earth was probed for a different kind of fuel. Though the immediate vicinity might be quiet, the distant murmur of the Wairaki River, some thirteen kilometres away, hints at the broader hydrological tapestry of the region, while the Woodlaw Forest, a ten-kilometre journey eastward, suggests the enduring presence of native bush. The quality of light in Ohai can be extraordinary, particularly as dusk descends, painting the sky in hues of bruised plum and pale gold, a fleeting spectacle that mirrors the subtle shifts in the land’s character throughout the seasons.

About This Ohai Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Ohai, Southland, New Zealand at coordinates -45.91667, 167.95. Use the Map and Satellite buttons to switch views, the plus and minus buttons to zoom, and Fullscreen to fill the screen.

Search Maps opens a second, independent map with four things the embedded map cannot do. It searches OpenStreetMap for any New Zealand town, suburb or landmark by name. It offers LINZ topographic maps as a base layer — the official Topo250 and Topo50 sheets, switching scale automatically as you zoom, and the standard reference for tramping, hunting and back-country travel. It offers LINZ aerial imagery down to 5cm resolution in urban areas. And it can take a single GPS fix from your device and report your position as both an NZTM2000 grid reference and plain latitude and longitude — the grid reference being what New Zealand search and rescue services work from. Map tiles require mobile coverage, but a GPS position does not, so the coordinates remain correct even where the map itself cannot load.

My Location & Navigate starts the vector-tile navigator: live turn-by-turn driving directions from your current position to any destination, with spoken guidance, lane hints and automatic re-routing.

Live weather conditions with current observations and a 7-day forecast are powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time New Zealand and world news feeds keep the page current, while an editorial description provides background on Ohai.

Ohai sits within the Southland Region. Location data is drawn from the GeoNames geographical database and verified by coordinates, ensuring the correct Ohai is identified even where the name is shared across multiple New Zealand localities.