It flows southeast from Lake Cobb on the northern slopes of Mount Cobb, in Kahurangi National Park, in the northwestern South Island.

The river's waters are captured behind a dam to become the Cobb Reservoir; the outflow continues to join with the Tākaka River.

[2] Brown and rainbow trout are available for fishing in the river.

New Zealand's oldest rocks are found in the Cobb River catchment.

This article about a river in the Tasman District is a stub.