It is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west of Māhia Peninsula.

It is the nearest town to the Te Urewera protected area and former national park, which is accessible from Wairoa via State Highway 38.

Te Reinga Falls is the starting point of the Wairoa river and said to be linked with the taniwha Hinekorako and Ruamano, who guided Takitimu to Aotearoa.

The Wairoa River mouth is associated with two taniwha, Tapuwae and Te Maaha, who are engaged in an ongoing struggle.

The river was an important source of food and still is to this day, including whitebait, flounder, mullet and eel.

Early European settlement in the area included a whaling station and trading post established by William Rhodes in 1839,[6] dealing largely in flax.

In April 1938, flooding hit the area, causing hundreds of slips which damaged the railway line.

Work to restore the railway took place and it was opened again for trains by the end of 1938[10] and fully utilised by 1939.

Leo Silvester Hannan made a death bed confession to the three killings in 1962 while in prison for a 1950 murder in Wellington.

[11][12] In early March 1988, much of the North Island was severely affected by storm damage from Cyclone Bola.

Due to some confusion with a claim by Greymouth to be the last champions, Wairoa was not eligible for the new top town series and unable to defend their title.

[14][15] There have long been tensions between the rival Mongrel Mob and Black Power gangs in Wairoa.

In 1988, Wairoa's main street: Marine Parade was the scene of a fatal shooting of two Black Power associates.

[21] In 2021, gang related violence flared again with five separate incidents of guns being fired at homes in Wairoa.

The police launched Operation Atlas to reduce tensions and stop the ongoing violence in Wairoa.

Wairoa also lost its only dentist in 2020 forcing locals to visit Gisborne or Napier for dental treatment.

[37] In late June 2024, Wairoa experienced torrential rain and high tides,[38] which led to 118 homes being flooded.

[40] In response to flooding, the New Zealand Government allocated NZ$3 million to disaster relief efforts in Wairoa.

[48] Originally owned by the Wairoa Co-operative Meat Company, the building was destroyed by a fire on 5 February 1931.

[56][57] In January 2020, the Government announced funding of $6.1 million to support rebuilding in the central business district.

[59][60] The Wairoa Agricultural & Pastoral Society was established in 1899 and held its first show next to the Frasertown Domain.

[74][75] In October 2020, the Government committed $1,949,075 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade Ruataniwha, Hinemihi, Hurumua, Iwitea, Kihitu, Taihoa, Tākitimu-Waihirere, Tawhiti A Maru, Te Mira and Whakakī, and 14 other Ngāti Kahungunu marae, creating 164 jobs.

Wastewater is discharged to an estuary in the lower reaches of the Wairoa River, through an outfall about 100 metres from the shore.

The mayor of Wairoa, Craig Little criticised the proposed reforms and expressed concerns about the loss of local representation and control.

[80] Also located at Te Hauora o te Wairoa / Wairoa Health is a general practice, an emergency department (level 2), radiology and laboratory services, mental health and addiction services and a number of outpatient clinics.

[82] Wairoa is connected south west to Napier and north east to Gisborne by State Highway 2.

The Napier to Gisborne section of the Palmerston North-Gisborne railway line was mothballed in 2012 after being damaged by a storm.

[88] The Wairoa Meat Company building, located on Marine Parade, is a category two Historic Place.

It has hosted many events including screenings of movies, concerts, political rallies and boxing matches.

[101] TKKM o Ngati Kahungunu o Te Wairoa is a Year 1–13 co-educational Māori immersion school.