 To the southwest of the peak is a saddle separating the Raukumara Range from the Huiarau Range - this saddle, with its highest point at the 725 metre Traffords Hill, is crossed by State Highway 2, the main road link between Gisborne and Opotiki in the Bay of Plenty.Several rivers have their sources on the slopes of Maungahaumi, including the Motu River and several tributaries of the Waipaoa River.Maungahaumi is the principal ancestral mountain of the Maori tribe Te Āitanga-a-Māhaki, as well as other affiliated tribal groups and hapū in the Tūranga region.