The region around the city of

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

, in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

, contains several lakes. From biggest to smallest, these are

Lake Rotorua , image = Lake Rotorua.jpg , caption = Lake Rotorua , alt = Lake Rotorua , image_bathymetry = , pushpin_map=New Zealand#North Island , pushpin_map_alt = Location of Lake Rotorua , pushpin_relief=yes , caption_bathymetry = , location = R ...

(Second Lake),

Lake Tarawera Lake Tarawera is the largest of a series of lakes which surround the volcano Mount Tarawera in the North Island of New Zealand. Like the mountain, it lies within the Okataina caldera. It is located to the east of Rotorua, and beneath the pea ...

, Lake Rotoiti (Small Lake),

Lake Rotoma A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

(White Lake),

Lake Okataina A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

Lake Rotoehu Lake Rotoehu is the smallest in a chain of three lakes to the northeast of Lake Rotorua in New Zealand's North Island. It is located between the city of Rotorua and town of Whakatane. The southern end of the lake occupies part of the Okataina ca ...

(Muddy Lake),

Lake Rotomahana Lake Rotomahana is an lake in northern New Zealand, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Rotorua. It is immediately south-west of the dormant volcano Mount Tarawera, and its geography was substantially altered by a major 1886 eruption of ...

(Warm Lake), Lake Rerewhakaaitu,

Lake Rotokakahi A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

(Green Lake),

Lake Okareka A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

and Lake Tikitapu (Blue lake). There are also four smaller lakes: Lake Okaro/Ngakaro, Lake Rotokawa (not to be confused with Lake Rotokawa near Taupo), Lake Rotokawau and Lake Rotongata (Mirror Lake). Most of the lakes have formed due to volcanic activity. The region is part of the Taupo Volcanic Zone, the world's most active area of explosive silicic volcanic activity in geologically recent time.

Geographic statistics

Lake Rotorua

Lake Rotorua is the largest of the lakes with Lake Tarawera close behind, it is also the second largest lake in the

by surface area and covers 79.8 square kilometers. With a main depth of only 10 metres it is smaller than Lake Tarawera by water volume. The lake lies within a large volcanic caldera in the Taupo Volcanic Zone. After an eruption, the magma chamber underneath the volcano collapsed. The depression left behind is the

Rotorua Caldera The Rotorua Caldera, now in filled with Lake Rotorua, is a large rhyolitic caldera. It is one of several large volcanoes located in the Taupō Volcanic Zone on the North Island of New Zealand. Geography The major regional settlement of Rotor ...

. Mokoia Island, is close to the middle of the lake and is the setting for the legendary tale of Hinemoa and Tutanekai.

Lake Tarawera

Lake Tarawera is the second largest lake in the rotorua caldera with a surface area of 51.0 km². It is filled by sources from the nearby Blue and Green lakes (or Lake Rotokakahi and Lake Tikitapu). Lake Tarawera is home to various eels and rainbow trout. During the summer the lake is popular for both fishing and water sports, and also camping as there a number of hot water beaches. Lake Tarawera's outflow is at its north end, into the Tarawera River, which flows further into the Pacific Ocean.

Lake Rotoiti

Lake Rotoiti is the third largest lake in the

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runawa ...

region of New Zealand. It is the westernmost in a chain of lakes formed within the Okataina caldera. The lake is close to the northern shore of its most famous neighbour, Lake Rotorua, and is connected by the Ohau Channel. The Māori-language name "Rotoiti" means "the little lake". The lake covers an area of 38.6 square kilometres.

Lake Rotoma

Lake Rotoma is the fourth largest lake in the Bay of Planty region of New Zealand. It is the easternmost lake in a chain of three lakes to the northeast of Lake Rotorua in New Zealand's North Island. The others are Lake Rotoiti and Lake Rotoehu. Lake Rotoma formed within the Rotoma caldera after lava flows blocked its outlet 10,000 years ago. It is located exactly half-way between the city of Rotorua and town of Whakatane. The lake covers an area of 11.8 square kilometres.

Lake Okataina

Lake Okataina is the largest of four smaller lakes lying between Lake Rotorua and Lake Tarawera in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The others are Lake Rotokakahi (Green Lake), Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake), and Lake Okareka. Unlike many other lakes in the region, Lake Okataina is completely encircled by native forest. It also has no inlets or outlets. Over the past 30 years, the level of the lake has risen about 5 metres. The lake covers an area of 10.8 square kilometres.

Lake Rotoehu

Lake Rotoehu is the smallest lake in a chain of three lakes near Lake Rotorua in New Zealand's North Island. It is located between the city of Rotorua and town of Whakatane. It is fed by Lake Rotoma to the east, and flows westward joining Lake Rotoiti. The lake is one of the least visited, but offers great Kayaking and fishing (rainbow trout). The lake covers an area of 8.1 square kilometres.

Lake Rotomahana

Lake Rotomahana is a small lake in northern New Zealand, located 25 kilometres to the east of Rotorua. It is immediately southwest of the volcano Mount Tarawera, and its geography was substantially altered by a major eruption in 1886. The lake covers a surface area of 8.0 square kilometres.

Pink and White Terraces

The Pink and White Terraces were a natural wonder located on the shores of the lake. They were considered to be the eighth wonder of the natural world and were New Zealand's most famous tourist attraction during the mid 19th century. They were considered lost in the

Mount Tarawera Mount Tarawera is a volcano on the North Island of New Zealand within the older but volcanically productive Ōkataina Caldera. Located 24 kilometres southeast of Rotorua, it consists of a series of rhyolitic lava domes that were fissu ...

eruption on 10 June 1886 until in 2016 a forgotten survey was rediscovered in Switzerland. This recently enabled researchers to reestablish the Pink and White Terrace locations which proved to lie on land; raising the possibility the sites may be investigated and any surviving sections of the terraces recovered or made open to public view.

Lake Rerewhakaaitu

Lake Rerewhakaaitu is a small, shallow lake in northern New Zealand, located 30 kilometres to the east of Rotorua. It is immediately south of the active volcano Mount Tarawera, and its geography was substantially altered by the 1886 eruption. The lake covers a surface area of 7.4 square kilometres.

Lake Rotokakahi (Green Lake)

Lake Rotokakahi or Green Lake, is one of four small lakes lying between Lake Rotorua and Lake Tarawera in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The others are Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake), Lake Okareka, and Lake Okataina. Named by the Māori for its abundance of shellfish, it flows to Lake Tarawera via the Te Wairoa waterfalls. It appears emerald green from the air due to its shallow, sandy bottom. The lake is 1302 feet above sea level and 69 feet below the level of the neighbouring Lake Tikitapu. The lake is largely undisturbed due to no nearby roads or towns. The lake covers a surface area of 4.5 square kilometres.

Lake Okareka

Lake Okareka is one of four small lakes lying between Lake Rotorua and Lake Tarawera, in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The others are Lake Rotokakahi (Green Lake), Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake), and Lake Okataina. This lake has an adjacent settlement of approximately 600 people. The lake covers a surface area of 3.5 square kilometres.

Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake)

Lake Tikitapu or Blue Lake, is the smallest of four small lakes lying between Lake Rotorua and Lake Tarawera in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The others are Lake Rotokakahi (Green Lake), Lake Okareka, and Lake Okataina. Along with the others, Lake Tikitapu lies within a volcanic caldera formed within the last 300,000 years. The blue colour of the lake can be attributed to

rhyolite Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The mineral ...

and

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicular vol ...

on the lake bed. The lake has no visible outlet, however subsurface flow drains towards Lake Tarawera. The lake has a surface area of 1.4 square kilometres.

References

{{Reflist Rotorua Lakes District