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.

Lake Rotorua (Canterbury)

Lake Rotorua is 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) due west of Kaikoura in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand.

A 2010 report showed that Lake Rotorua had the second highest trophic level index, an indication of pollutant levels, of all the lakes that were measured.

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References

Rotorua

Rotorua (/ˌroʊtəˈruːə, -toʊ-/, from Māori: Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe, "The second great lake of Kahumatamomoe") is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing Rotorua and several other nearby towns. The majority of the Rotorua District is in the Bay of Plenty Region, but a sizable southern section and a small western section are in the Waikato Region. Rotorua is in the heart of the North Island, just 60 kilometres (37 mi) south of Tauranga, 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Taupo, 105 kilometres (65 mi) east of Hamilton, and 230 kilometres (140 mi) southeast of the nation's most populous city, Auckland.

Rotorua has an estimated permanent population of 56,800, making it the country's 10th largest urban area, and the Bay of Plenty's second largest urban area behind Tauranga. The Rotorua District has a total estimated population of 69,200, of which 3,600 live in the Waikato section.

Rotorua (New Zealand electorate)

Rotorua is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the House of Representatives of New Zealand. It was first established in 1919, and has existed continuously since 1954. The current MP for Rotorua is Todd McClay of the National Party, who won the electorate in the 2008 general election from incumbent Labour MP Steve Chadwick.

Population centres

In the 1918 electoral redistribution, the North Island gained a further three electorates from the South Island due to faster population growth. Only two existing electorates were unaltered, five electorates were abolished, two former electorate were re-established, and three electorates, including Rotorua, were created for the first time.

The original electorate, which was formed through the 1918 electoral redistribution, had a long coastline along the Bay of Plenty, and incorporated, beside Rotorua, the towns and villages of Whakatane, Taupo, Tokoroa, Putaruru, Mangakino, Edgecumbe, Taneatua, and Murupara. In the 1922 electoral redistribution, the electorate lost some area to the Bay of Plenty electorate, and a larger area to the Waikato electorate. The 1927 electoral redistribution saw Rotorua become landlocked, with the Tauranga electorate taking the coastline including Taneatua and Edgecumbe, and Whakatane going to the Bay of Plenty electorate. The electorate moved south and took in Lake Taupo, with Turangi just beyond the southern boundary located in the Waimarino electorate. The electorate also grew in the north-west, gaining the town of Matamata.