It is located on State Highway 3 close to the shore of the North Taranaki Bight, 13 kilometres east of Waitara and 6 km south-west of Mimi.

The Urenui River flows past the settlement into the North Taranaki Bight.

[6][7] The town was the site of the Urenui Redoubt, created in winter 1865 during the Second Taranaki War.

It is part of the wider Tikorangi statistical area,[9] which covers 167.79 km2 (64.78 sq mi).

[11][12] In October 2020, the Government committed $363,060 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade the marae, creating 21 jobs.