 Taupiri is located near the northern end of the Waikato Basin immediately south of the junction of the Mangawara Stream (which drains the northern part of the basin) and the Waikato River.The Waikato River then flows northward through the Taupiri Gorge between the Hākarimata Range to the south and the Taupiri Range to the north, into the Lower Waikato.State Highway 1 (SH1) and the North Island Main Trunk railway line run through the town and the gorge, linking Huntly 8 kilometres to the north and Ngāruawāhia 7 kilometres to the south.