Māori first settled in Rotorua in the 14th century, and a thriving pā was established at Ohinemutu by the people who would become Ngāti Whakaue. The city became closely associated with conflict during the Musket Wars of the 1820s. Ohinemutu was invaded by a Ngāpuhi-led coalition in 1823, commanded by Hongi Hika and Pōmare I. In the 19th century early European settlers had an interest in developing Rotorua, due to its unique geothermal activity in Rotorua and its surrounding area.
Rotorua is a major destination for both domestic and international tourists; the tourism industry is by far the largest industry in the district. It is known for its geothermal activity and Māori cultural tourism, and features – notably the Pōhutu Geyser at Whakarewarewa – and hot mud pools. This thermal activity is sourced to the Rotorua Caldera, in which the city lies.
The name Rotorua comes from the Māori language, where the full name for the city and lake is Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe.
means 'two' or in this case, 'second' – Rotorua thus meaning 'Second lake'.
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It was the second major lake the chief discovered, and he dedicated it to his uncle. It is the largest of a multitude of lakes found to the northeast, all connected with the Rotorua Caldera and nearby
. The name can also mean the equally appropriate 'Crater lake'.
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A common nickname for Rotorua is "Sulphur City" due to the hydrogen sulphide emissions, which gives the city a smell similar to "rotten eggs",
History
The area was initially settled by Māori of the Te Arawa iwi in the 14th century, and a thriving pā was built at Ohinemutu by the shores of Lake Rotorua. According to Te Arawa folklore, the city's bountiful Hot spring had resulted from a plea by Ngātoro-i-rangi, an ancestral tohunga, for the gods to send fire-bearing spirits from Hawaiki, the semi-mythological Māori homeland. The Te Arawa Māori who lived at Ohinemutu eventually began to call themselves Ngāti Whakaue, after their ancestor Maketu.
Rotorua was a site of heavy conflict during the Musket Wars. During the early 1820s, the large Northern iwi Ngāpuhi had begun expanding outwards further south, driving Ngāti Pāoa and their chief Te Hīnaki from modern-day South Auckland, and launched periodic raids into the Bay of Plenty.
The first European in the area was probably Phillip Tapsell who was trading from the Bay of Plenty coast at Maketu from 1828. He later married into Te Arawa and became highly regarded by them.
The lakeshore was a prominent site of skirmishes during the New Zealand Wars of the 1860s. William Fox advocated for turning the Rotorua region into a national park, inspired by the Yellowstone in the United States.[ The Fenton Agreement 1880–2030 . Rotorua Museum.][ The FENTON AGREEMENT The setting up of Rotorua . Te Arawa Stories Digital Storehouse.] granting the government the authority to offer 99-year leases on their behalf.[ Our School History . Official site.] The eponymous Fenton Street in the modern city's CBD bears the judge's name.[ Stories behind the names . Rotorua Library.] Nevertheless, the enactment of the Thermal Springs District Act in 1881 gave the government exclusive rights to both purchase and lease lands containing hot springs, lakes, or river, and as a result, by the turn of the century, nearly half of the Rotorua blocks were sold.[ Story: Te Kōti Whenua – Māori Land Court . ]
The town was connected to Auckland with the opening of the Rotorua Branch railway and commencement of the Rotorua Express train in 1894, resulting in the rapid growth of the town and tourism from this time forward. Guidebooks about the 'Land of Boiling Water' also proliferated.
Geography
Setting
The city of Rotorua and the adjacent Lake Rotorua are located within the Rotorua Caldera that was formed in a major volcanic eruption approximately 240,000 years ago. The caldera is the source of the geothermal activity that is a key feature of the city and surrounding region.
Climate
The Rotorua region enjoys a mild Oceanic climate (Cfb). Rotorua is situated inland from the coast and is sheltered by high country to the south and east of the city, resulting in less wind than many other places in New Zealand. During the winter months, June – August, temperatures can drop below 0 °C. Frost is common in Rotorua during its winter months, with an average of 57 ground frosts annually, and 20 nights per year below 0 °C. Snowfall in Rotorua is rare, and since the 1970s has only been recorded twice. On 15 August 2011 and 13 July 2017, snowflakes fell in the town centre, and during the July 2017 snowfall, snow accumulated in the nearby Mamaku ranges and in the outer reaches of the district, where snowfall occurs on average once every three years.
Lakes
The Rotorua region has 17 lakes, known collectively as the Lakes of Rotorua. Fishing, waterskiing, swimming and other water activities are popular in summer. Several of the lakes are stocked for sports fishing with trout from the Fish and Game New Zealand hatchery at Ngongotahā. The lakes are also used for event venues; Rotorua hosted the 2007 World Waterski Championships and Lake Rotorua was the venue for the World Blind Sailing Championships in March 2009.
Suburbs
- Inner suburbs
- Outer suburbs
Demography
The Rotorua urban area, as defined by Statistics New Zealand, covers and incorporates 29 statistical areas.
Rotorua had a population of 55,326 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,140 people (2.1%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 6,429 people (13.1%) since the 2013 census. There were 26,883 males, 28,254 females, and 189 people of other genders in 19,137 dwellings.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 57.1% European (Pākehā); 46.0% Māori; 7.3% Pasifika; 11.9% Asian; 0.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.9% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 95.6%, Māori by 14.7%, Samoan by 0.5%, and other languages by 10.9%. No language could be spoken by 2.3% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 19.0, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 31.9% Christian, 2.1% Hindu, 0.4% Islam, 3.9% Māori religious beliefs, 0.8% Buddhist, 0.4% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 1.9% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 51.6%, and 7.2% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 8,322 (19.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 23,331 (54.2%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 11,406 (26.5%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $38,200, compared with $41,500 nationally. 3,174 people (7.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 21,432 (49.8%) full-time, 5,511 (12.8%) part-time, and 2,088 (4.8%) unemployed.
Rotorua has the highest proportion of Māori of any city in New Zealand.
Government
Local
In October 2013, Steve Chadwick was elected Mayor of Rotorua and was re-elected in the 2016 mayoral election and the 2019 mayoral election. She previously served as the Member of Parliament for Rotorua between 1999 and 2008, and served as a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour Government.
In 2022, Tania Tapsell was elected as the Mayor of Rotorua. She is the first woman of Māori descent to hold the role.
National
Rotorua is covered by the Rotorua electorate for the general roll and the Waiariki electorate for the Māori roll.
Economy
In 2022, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Rotorua District was $4.241 billion, representing 1.2% of New Zealand's total GDP. The sector with the largest contribution to the Rotorua District GDP was high value services (professional, managerial, as well as scientific and technical occupations), at 20%. This is less than the 26.7% contribution that high value services make to the national economy. The next highest contribution to the district GDP was from goods-producing industries representing 17.8% in the district GDP, versus 18.5% in the national economy. Primary industries, agriculture and forestry, contributed 10.2%, compared with 5.8% in the national economy.
As a major visitor destination, Rotorua District has a much higher proportion of people in employed in accommodation (3.3%) than the national average (1.1%). Tourism contributed $231 million (5.5%) to the district GDP, compared with 2.8% nationally. The four largest industries in the district, based on employment, were hospitals, accommodation, cafes and restaurants, and primary education.
Geothermal attractions
Known as a spa town and major tourist resort since the 1800s, many of Rotorua's buildings reflect this history. Government Gardens, close to the lake-shore at the eastern edge of the town, include the Rotorua Museum housed in the large Tudor-style bath house building, and the Art Deco style Blue Baths, noted for its embrace of mixed sex bathing in the 1930s. , both buildings are closed because of earthquake strength concerns.
There are many geothermal attractions in the Rotorua area, including:
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Kuirau Park, in the central city
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Government Gardens, including Sulphur Point
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Te Puia – a visitor attraction located in the Whakarewarewa volcanic valley, and home of the Pōhutu Geyser
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Tikitere – Hell's Gate Geothermal Park & Mud Spa
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Te Wairoa ("The Buried Village") — so named after it was buried by the 1886 Mount Tarawera eruption
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Lake Rotomahana
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Waimangu Volcanic Valley
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Waikite Valley Thermal Pools
The especially pungent smell in the central-east 'Te Ngae' area is due to the dense sulphur deposits located next to the southern boundary of the Government Gardens, in the area known as 'Sulphur Point'.
Mountain biking
Another of Rotorua's attractions is mountain biking. Rotorua was listed as one of the Top 6 mountain biking destinations globally by the International Mountain Biking Association in 2015, when they awarded Rotorua the gold level ride centre status.
Other attractions
The Rotorua Pistol club is among the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and hosted the 2013 Australasian IPSC Handgun Championship.
The Kaituna River, 15 minutes drive northeast of the CBD, provides class 5 whitewater kayaking and rafting through a spectacular tree lined gorge.
Another visitor attraction in the Ngongotahā area is the Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre. It is a captive breeding facility and visitor centre located in the Ngongotahā Valley. Wingspan undertakes conservation, education and research activities related to birds of prey found in New Zealand, and provides demonstrations of falconry.
Rotorua is known for its Māori cultural tourism.
Transport
Road
Rotorua is served by state highways 5, 30, and 30A, and the Thermal Explorer Highway touring route, with state highways 33 and 36 terminating on the outskirts of the city.
State Highway 5, running concurrently with the Thermal Explorer Highway, is the main north–south route through Rotorua, bypassing the city centre to the west. North of the city at Ngongotahā, State Highway 36 splits off to provide a route to Tauranga via Pyes Pa, while State Highway 5 turns westward, connecting to State Highway 1 at Tīrau and providing the main route into Rotorua from Hamilton and Auckland. To the south, State Highway 5 provides the main route from Taupō, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu, and Wellington.
State Highway 30 runs southwest to northeast through the city. It enters the city in the southwest (running concurrently with SH 5), before crossing the southern suburbs to the shore of Lake Rotorua east of the city centre. It then runs through the suburb of Te Ngae, before splitting off SH 33 to continue eastwards.
State Highway 30A runs northwest to southeast, connecting State Highways 5 and 30 with each other via the city centre.
Bus
Rotorua has a local bus service,
History
Edwin Robertson, who died aged 74 in 1931,
Air
Rotorua Regional Airport is located northeast of the city centre, off State Highway 30. Air New Zealand provides daily turbo-prop flights between Rotorua and Auckland Airport, Wellington, and Christchurch airports. Previously Qantas also operated Boeing 737 aircraft from Christchurch, but upon their departure from domestic flights in New Zealand this was discontinued.
Scenic and chartered flights in both helicopters and float planes are operated by Volcanic Air, who are based on Rotorua's lake front.
From 2009 to 2015 there was also an international link, with direct Sydney to Rotorua flights.[ "Rotorua's last flight to Sydney takes off" , Apr 27, 2015, NZ Herald]
Rail
Rotorua is connected to the rail network by the Rotorua Branch line from Putāruru. Until 8 October 2001, passenger trains ran from Auckland to Rotorua via Hamilton daily using Silver Fern railcars, terminating north of the town centre at Koutu (the original station on Amohau Street was closed and relocated to Koutu on 18 August 1989). However, owing to poor advertising of the service and the location of the station being a 15-minute walk from the town centre in an industrial area, passenger services stopped in October 2001. Freight services on the line declined over the decades until the nightly freight service stopped in June 2000, largely due to a continual move of freight and passengers onto road transport using ever-improving highways in the region. The line is currently disused.
Education
Tertiary
Rotorua is home to the central campus of Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, which provides a range of certificates, diplomas and a limited number of degree-level programmes. The largest programmes on offer are Māori language, nursing, forestry, business, computing, tourism and hospitality. , Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology is a business division of Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology.
Secondary
Rotorua has five secondary schools:
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John Paul College, a co-educational, state-integrated Catholic school for Years 7–13 with about 1200 students
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Rotorua Boys' High School, a state boys school for Years 9–13 with about 1000 students
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Rotorua Girls' High School, a state girls school for Years 9–13 with about 600 students
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Rotorua Lakes High School serving the eastern suburbs. A co-educational state school for Years 9–13 with about 700 students
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Western Heights High School serving the western suburbs. A co-educational state school for Years 9–13 with about 1200 students
Students can also attend Te Rangihakahaka Centre for Science and Techbnology, a Māori- and English-medium special character school from years 1–10.
Kura Kaupapa Māori (Māori language immersion schools)
Rotorua has four Kura Kaupapa Māori:
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Te Wharekura o Ngāti Rongomai years 0–13 with about 115 students in eastern Rotorua
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Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Te Koutu years 0–13 with about 240 students in western Rotorua
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Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Ruamata years 0–13 with about 240 students in semi-rural eastern Rotorua
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Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Hurungaterangi years 0–8 with about 80 students in central Rotorua
Media
Rotorua has several media organisations, including the Rotorua Daily Post, More FM and The Hits Rotorua.
Sister cities
Rotorua's sister city are:
Notable people
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Valerie Adams, Olympic shot putter
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Steven Adams, basketball player
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Israel Adesanya, mixed martial artist, former UFC Middleweight Champion
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Michael Barker, drummer
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Jean Batten, aviator
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Sam Bewley, Olympic cyclist
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Manu Bennett, actor
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Trent Boult, New Zealand cricketer
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Simeon Brown, New Zealand politician
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Scott Curry, All Blacks 7s, Bay of Plenty 7s
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Cliff Curtis, actor
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Julian Dean, road racing cyclist
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Mike Delany, rugby union player, All Black
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Dame Susan Devoy, squash player
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Tom Donnelly, All Black, rugby union player
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Alan Duff, writer
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Gary Jeshel Forrester, musician, writer, academic
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Jack Foster, Olympic marathon runner
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Ian George, artist of Cook Islands descent.
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Kay George, artist based in Cook Islands and New Zealand
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Tony Gordon, rugby league player and coach
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Bevan Hari, hockey player
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Dylan Hartley, rugby union player (For the English National Team.)
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Tame Iti, maori activist
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David Kosoof, Olympic hockey player
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Danny Lee, professional golfer
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Ranginui Parewahawaha Leonard, New Zealand weaver, farmer and kuia
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Dennis List, poet and writer
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Angus Hikairo Macfarlane, educator
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Gina Matchitt, Māori jeweller, weaver and artist
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Steve McDowall, All Black
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Hinematau McNeill (also writing as Naomi Te Hiini) academic and treaty negotiator
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Jon Mark, Musician. solo artist and co-founder of Mark-Almond
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Tony Marsh, rugby union player (for French national team)
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Elizabeth Marvelly, soprano
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Liam Messam, rugby union player (for Waikato and NZ)
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Sir Howard Morrison, entertainer
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Temuera Morrison, actor.
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Craig Newby, All Black
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Caleb Ralph, All Black
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William Ripia, rugby union player (Wellington Hurricanes, Western Force, Bay of Plenty, Otago Highlanders, Maori All Black)
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Joe Royal, rugby union player (Bay of Plenty Steamers and Māori All Blacks)
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Ben Sandford, Olympic men's skeleton racer
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Buck Shelford, former All Black
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Miriama Smith, actress
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Sir Peter Tapsell, politician
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Te Pokiha Taranui, tribal leader and soldier
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Ngahuia Te Awekotuku, academic, scholar activist, Emeritus Professor
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Sir Gordon Tietjens, New Zealand and Samoan Sevens rugby coach
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Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, rugby league player (Sydney Roosters and New Zealand Kiwis)
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Dean Whare, rugby league player (Penrith Panthers and New Zealand Kiwis)
External links
