Between the two cities lies both the Ngaruroro River and the Tutaekuri River with the rural suburb of Pakowhai located between them. The Ngaruroro River runs for a total of 164 kilometres southeast from the Kaweka Range, Kaimanawa Range and Ruahine Range and then east before emptying into Hawke Bay. The Ngaruroro shares a river mouth with the Tutaekuri, Clive River and Muddy Creek. The Tutaekuri River flows for a distance of 99.9 kilometers east from the Kaweka Range starting roughly 30 kilometers east of Taihape.