Maungaraki is a suburb of Lower Hutt. It is one of several Lower Hutt suburbs on the western hills of the Hutt Valley. It contains the largest suburban development on the Hutt Valley's western escarpment that runs along the Wellington Fault.

Maungaraki translated from Māori means "northern mountain". This may reference the Māori pā to the south that once stood at Pito-one.^{[citation needed]}

In 2021, Maungaraki was chosen by national news publication Stuff as the best suburb to live in the Wellington region due in part to high sunshine hours, excellent schooling, panoramic views, a diverse population and low crime.

The suburb has a shopping centre, a baptist church, and a community hall that is managed by the Maungaraki Community Association. The Church building was relocated from the old NZ Railways works at Moera.

There is one school in the suburb: Maungaraki School, a full primary school on Dowse Drive formed in 1999 by the merger of Puketiro and Otonga schools. The school's library doubles as a community public library outside of school hours. Maungaraki also has a kindergarten and playcentre.

Much of Maungaraki falls within Belmont Regional Park, and there are walking tracks from the suburb into the park. Korokoro Dam and its waterfall are both within the park and within Maungaraki.

The main entrance to Percy Scenic Reserve is located within the suburb. The reserve features nature plants, walking tracks and a waterfall.

Housing increased rapidly in the area during the 1960s, at the time it was the largest local-government subdivision in New Zealand.