Waiouru is a small town in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is on the North Island Volcanic Plateau at a height of 815 metres above sea level, 25 kilometres southeast of Mount Ruapehu. It is in the Manawatu-Wanganui region.

North of Waiouru is the section of State Highway 1 called the Desert Road. This runs for 35 km through the Rangipo Desert to Turangi, at the southern end of Lake Taupo. Waiouru is a military town that has grown up in conjunction with the New Zealand Army Training Group, which is responsible for the training of recruits and other soldiers.