It flows east to reach Whangaparāoa Bay just to the north of Whangaparaoa Peninsula.

As it reaches the Hauraki Gulf, the river forms a shallow estuary.

[1][2] The river has one major tributary, the Waterloo Creek,[3] and has an island in the river estuary, Te Motu-o-Marae-Ariki, also known as Crocodile Island.

[4] The Aotoetoe Portage allowed waka to cross between the Kaipara Harbour in the west to the Hauraki Gulf, via the Kaukapakapa River.

[1] This article about a river in the Auckland Region is a stub.