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Top Attractions in Rotorua

Lake Rotorua

Lake Rotorua is the second largest lake in the North Island of New Zealand by surface area, and covers 79.8 km2. With a mean depth of only 10 metres it is considerably smaller than nearby Lake Tarawera in terms of volume of water. It is located in the Bay of Plenty region. The city of Rotorua is sited on its southern shore, and the town of Ngongotaha is at the western edge of the lake. The lake was formed from the crater of a large volcano in the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Its last major eruption was about 240,000 years ago. After the eruption, the magma chamber underneath the volcano collapsed. The circular depression left behind is the Rotorua Caldera, which is the site of the lake. Several other lakes of volcanic origin are located nearby to the east, around the base of the active volcano Mount Tarawera. Lake Rotorua is fed with water from a number of rivers and streams; some such as the Utuhina flow water of a water temperature warmer than the lake due to the thermal activity in the Rotorua area. Conversely streams on the northern shore such as the Hamurana Spring and the Awahou stream flow crystal clear water that has a constant temperature of 10 degrees Celsius. Other notable tributaries include the Ngongotaha stream, famous for trout fishing. Despite the large volume of water flowing through Lake Rotorua its shallow depth makes it very prone to discolouration, especially from sediment following windy weather. It is well used by fishermen, but less popular with watersports participants and swimmers. Lake Rotorua flows directly into Lake Rotoiti via the Ohau Channel at the north eastern corner of the lake; this channel is navigable by boat and is also favoured by fly fishermen. The Ohau channel joins at the Mourea delta, an area with very low water levels. This area is frequented by novice kayakers and swimmers. Nearby is the ancestral land of the Ngati Pikiao hapu of the Te Arawa tribe. From Lake Rotoiti the waters of Lake Rotorua flow to the Kaituna River into the Pacific Ocean near Maketu; the rapid descent from over 900 feet above sea level in less than 20 km has created an area used for extreme kayaking and white water rafting. Mokoia Island, close to the centre of the lake, is a rhyolite dome. It is probably New Zealands best-known lake island, and is closely associated with one of the best-known Māori legends, that of Hinemoa and Tutanekai. Is said that Hinemoa swam across the lake to her lover Tutanekai who lived on Mokoia Island. Owing to the geothermal activity around the lake, the lake has a high sulphur content. This gives the lakes waters an unusual yellowish-green hue.

Whakarewarewa

Whakarewarewa is a geothermal area within Rotorua city in the Taupo Volcanic Zone of New Zealand. This was the site of the Māori fortress of Te Puia, first occupied around 1325, and known as an impenetrable stronghold never taken in battle. Māori have lived here ever since, taking full advantage of the geothermal activity in the valley for heating and cooking. Whakarewarewa has some 500 pools, most of which are alkaline chloride hot springs, and at least 65 geyser vents, each with their own name. Seven geysers are currently active. Pohutu Geyser, meaning big splash or explosion, erupts approximately hourly to heights of up to 30 m. Many of the thermal features at Whakarewarewa have been adversely affected by Rotorua residents taking advantage of the underlying geothermal fluids of the city by drawing shallow wells to extract hot water for both domestic and commercial heating. A bore closure programme in 1987-1988 resulted in 106 wells within 1.5 km of Pohutu Geyser being cemented shut, with another 120 wells outside the radius being shut due to a punitive royalty charging regime. There has subsequently been a pronounced recovery in the geysers and hot springs at Whakarewarewa.

Lake Rotoiti

Lake Rotoiti is a lake in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. It is the northwesternmost in a chain of lakes formed within the Okataina caldera. The lake is close to the northern shore of its more famous neighbour, Lake Rotorua, and is connected to it via the Ohau Channel. It drains to the Kaituna River, which flows into the Bay of Plenty near Maketu. The full name of the lake is Te Rotoiti-kite-a-Īhenga, which in the Māori language means "The Small Lake Discovered By Īhenga", the Māori explorer also credited with discovering Lake Rotorua. Legend says that the lake was named as such because when Ihenga first saw it, he was only able to see a small part of it and thought the lake was a lot smaller. Since the 1960s, the quality of lake water has been negatively affected by inflows of nitrogen rich water from Lake Rotorua, agricultural run-off from surrounding farms and seepage from domestic septic tanks. The effects of this included an almost permanent algal bloom in the Okere arm of the lake and choking lake weed growth in other still areas of the lake. A barrier to divert the nutrient rich waters of Lake Rotorua into the Kaituna River was completed in late 2008. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council expected to see improvement in lake water quality within five years and the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes Program reported in 2013 that the intervention has significantly improved water quality. Water quality is the highest it has been in decades, on track to meet targets set by the Program to meet community expectations. Lake Rotoiti has thermal hot-spring baths on the southern shore which are accessible by boat.

Mokoia Island

Mokoia Island is located in Lake Rotorua in New Zealand. It has an area of 1.35 square kilometres. The island is a rhyolite lava dome, rising to 180 metres above the lake surface. It was formed after the Rotorua caldera collapsed and rhyolitic magma was pushed through the cracks. One of the cracks was below where Mokoia island is today. The foreshores of the island have geothermal springs with hot spring water forming the Hinemoa pool, known to locals as Waikimihia. It also has very rich volcanic soil, which was why the local Māori grew kumara on it. it was also a very good strategic location, which was why it was often fought over. Mokoia Island is privately owned by local Māori iwi, who run it in conjunction with the New Zealand Department of Conservation. It is a bird sanctuary and access is limited to tour parties only. It is home to several rare species, including the North Island kōkako, the North Island brown kiwi, and a breeding population of the endangered North Island saddleback. The island is also the location of regular Mau rākau training camps in the Maori martial art of taiaha.

Rotorua International Stadium

Rotorua International Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located on Devon Street West in the Westbrook suburb of Rotorua, New Zealand. It is currently used mostly for rugby union and rugby league matches, being one of two home stadiums for the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union (the other being Baypark Stadium in Tauranga). In addition, a softball field is sited at the northern end. The stadium has a capacity of 26,000 people. The stadium was originally built in 1911, and renovated several times since. The stadium features a covered stand seating up to 4,000 with a concrete seating area on the western side of the field. The Rotorua International Stadium has held many events in its time including acts from New Zealand Opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa to UB40, the Raggamuffin Music Festival. In rugby union the stadium has been used for the 1987 Rugby World Cup 3rd/4th playoff, Test matches and British and Irish Lions tours matches. To many it is considered the rightful home of Bay of Plenty rugby, despite the recent majority of home matches being scheduled in Tauranga. Rotorua International Stadium has hosted three rugby league Test matches. The first, held on 16 July 1989 saw the Wally Lewis led Australians defeat New Zealand 8-0 in front of 26,000 fans. The second Test was held seven years later when New Zealand defeated Papua New Guinea 62-8 in front of only 4,800 fans on 5 October 1996. The last rugby league international held at the venue as of 2014 was when the Kiwis defeated the PNG Kumuls 76-12 in front of 6,000 fans. That match was played as part of the 2010 Rugby League Four Nations tournament. The stadium hosted three matches of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The first game on 10 September saw Fiji defeat Namibia 49-25 in front of 10,100. Game two saw Samoa defeat Namibia 49-12 in front of 12,752 fans, while the final WC game at the stadium saw Ireland defeat Russia 62-12 in front of 25,661 fans.

Smallbone Park

Smallbone Park is a cricket ground in Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. The first recorded match held on the ground came in 1921 when Rotorua played the touring Australians. The ground later held its first first-class match during the 1968/69 Plunket Shield when Northern Districts played Otago. Between the 1968/69 and 1995/96 season's, seventeen first-class matches were held there, the last of which saw Northern Districts play Central Districts in the 1995/96 Shell Trophy. The first List A match held there came when Northern Districts played Auckland in the 1984/85 Shell Cup. Northern Districts played six further List A matches at the ground, the last of which came in the 2002/03 State Shield against Otago. A single Women's One Day International was played there on 25 February 1995, when Australia Women played India Women in the New Zealand Women's Centenary Tournament.
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