It flows south from the Aorangi Range to reach Cook Strait 10 kilometres (6 mi) northeast of Cape Palliser.

[1] The river reaches the sea close to White Rock, which is formed of calcilutite in a Paleocene limestone.

[2] Richard Barton set up White Rock as a sheep station in 1847.

[4] "Place name detail: Whawanui River".

This article about a river in the Wellington Region is a stub.