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The Hauraki Plains is an area between the Hapuakohe Range in the west, the Firth of Thames in the north, and the Coromandel Range and Kaimai Range in the east. The Piako River travels through the centre of the gulf, which was a huge swamp in the early twentieth century but was extensively drained and much of it was converted into a fertile dairy farming area.
The gulf was originally formed when the Waikato River went through the area to the Firth of Thames. It slowly moved to its current mouth at Port Waikato on the western coast over time, forming various lakes at Horsham Downs, Huntly, Rangiriri and Te Kauwhata.
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