The area covered by the district extends from the southwest coast of the Firth of Thames southeast towards Te Aroha, although that town lies beyond its boundaries.

It extends eastwards to the Bay of Plenty coast, taking in the southernmost part of the Coromandel Peninsula.

Features of the district include the Karangahake Gorge, Whiritoa, the Hauraki Plains, Ngatea and the gold mining town of Waihi.

The results were 83.6% European (Pākehā); 24.1% Māori; 3.6% Pasifika; 4.5% Asian; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.5% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander".

Hauraki District consists of the following towns, localities, settlements and communities: