It rises in two branches, the North Branch and the South Branch, in the Matiri Range within Kahurangi National Park, meeting some 25 kilometres southeast of Karamea.

It flows generally northeast to reach the Motueka River 30 kilometres south of Motueka.

The Wangapeka valley was the site of a major goldfield during the late 1860s, and is mentioned in some versions of the New Zealand folk song "Bright Fine Gold".

[1] "Place name detail: Wangapeka River".

This article about a river in the Tasman District is a stub.