Mangonui lies to the west, and Whangaroa Harbour to the east.

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place of [a] small pit" for Ōruaiti.

[1] The Taemaro-Oruaiti statistical area, which also includes Hihi and Taemaro, covers 156.80 km2 (60.54 sq mi)[2] and had an estimated population of 1,050 as of June 2024,[3] with a population density of 6.7 people per km2.

The results were 71.9% European (Pākehā), 44.4% Māori, 4.1% Pasifika, 3.3% Asian, and 3.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander".

Of those at least 15 years old, 102 (11.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 507 (55.8%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 261 (28.7%) people exclusively held high school qualifications.