Bream Head features a prominent bluff 490 metres in height, the remains of a Miocene andesitic volcano. It forms the northern extremity of Bream Bay, and guards the entrance to Whangarei Harbour, a natural inlet extending to the northwest. The Marsden Point oil refinery is located on the opposing shore of the harbour five kilometres to the west.
Immediately to the north of Bream Head is a long sandy beach called Ocean Beach.