The area of the mountain is in a scenic reserve that is "recognised as one of the finest rain forests in the world".

[3] The mountain is covered in native forest and quite near the geographical centre of the North Island which is slightly to its west.

Mount Pureora has a prominence above the surrounding countryside of about 450 m (1,480 ft) and a diameter of 5 km (3.1 mi).

[2] The basaltic andesite lavas are made up of plagioclase, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene, with rare olivine and hornblende phenocrysts with an age of 1.60 ± 0.10 Ma.

The Mount Pureora track is accessible also from back roads off State Highway 32, which lies to the west of Lake Taupō.