Environment Waikato's local area planting guide describes the area as "long ridges and steep streams radiating out to the coast, steep and broken hillslopes, floodplains, harbours and estuaries."

The Colville Ecological District takes in 77,201 hectares (190,770 acres), 59% of which is in indigenous vegetation, and 8% of which is virgin forest.

Most of the range is made up of metamorphic, prehnite-pumpellyite Manaia Hill Group greywackeˌ sandstones and siltstones (Waipapa terrane) of Jurassic/Cretaceous age, formed about 150 million years ago.

It consists of 17 million year old mid Miocene sub-volcanic intrusions, including hornblende-pyroxene granodiorite, pyroxene-hornblende quartz diorite and biotite-pyroxene.

In the area north of Port Charles Road, which includes the whole of the range, the 2013 population was only 129, living in 63 houses.

The full name of the mountain is Te Moengahau-o-Tamatekapua (the windy sleeping place of Tamatekapua).

The Moehau peak contains a selection of indigenous vegetation that is unique for a North Island forest, and is home to silver and pink pine, kaikawaka, sweet hutu (Ascarina sp.)

The range is also noteworthy for the rare native Archey's frog (Leiopelma archeyi), whose young hatch from eggs, bypassing the tadpole stage.