It flows south from its source in Titirangi, meets the tributaries Waituna Stream and Waiohua Creek which run through the suburbs of Waima and Woodlands Park, before reaching the Manukau Harbour.

[1] The creek was known by Te Kawerau ā Maki and other Tāmaki Māori as Waikūmete,[2] a name that was later applied to the greater Glen Eden area during the time of European settlement.

[3] It was a traditionally strategic location, linking the southern Waitākere Ranges to the Manukau Harbour, and a place at the end of a major north-south walking track which was accessible for travel by canoe.

[5] Most warriors among the group left for the Waikato after further battles with Ngāpuhi, however a small number of Te Taoū under chief Awarua stayed at Waikūmete temporarily, tending to pig farms.

A dock was constructed on Little Muddy Creek, which connected the community to the commercial centre of Onehunga, until road access became the main means of transportation.