It flows south from Hooker Lake, the glacier lake of Hooker Glacier, which lies on the southern slopes of Aoraki / Mount Cook.

After 3 kilometers, it flows through Mueller Glacier Lake, gathering more glacial water, before joining the braided streams of the Tasman River, also an outflow of a glacier lake.

Hooker River along transports 20,000 m3 (710,000 cu ft) of sediment per year.

[3] The majority of the Hooker River is within the Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, as far southeast as the Tasman Valley Road truss bridge.

It flows through the flat Hooker Valley, the main tourism area of the park.