Rotorua

The name Rotorua comes from the Māori language, where the full name for the city and lake is Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe. Roto means 'lake' and rua means 'two' or in this case, 'second' – Rotorua thus meaning 'Second lake'. Kahumatamomoe was the uncle of the Māori chief Ihenga, the ancestral explorer of the Te Arawa. 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 Mount Tarawera. The name can also mean the equally appropriate 'Crater lake'. A common nickname for Rotorua is "Sulphur City" due to the hydrogen sulphide emissions, which gives the city a smell similar to "rotten eggs", as well as "Rotten-rua" combining its legitimate name and the rotten smell prevalent. …

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 geothermal springs 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 Whakaue Kaipapa. 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 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. The Rotorua region enjoys a mild temperate 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. …

In 2024, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Rotorua District was $4,857 M, representing 1.2% of New Zealand's total GDP. The industry sector with the largest contribution to the Rotorua District GDP was agriculture, forestry and fishing, at 10.7%. This is more than twice the 5.0% contribution that this sector makes to the national economy. The next highest contribution to the district GDP was from health care and social assistance, representing 9.1% in the district GDP, versus 6.6% in the national economy. Manufacturing contributed 7.1%, compared with 7.8% in the national economy. The industry sector with the highest employment in the district was health care and social assistance, at 12.8% of the filled jobs. The next largest sector was accommodation and food services at 9.8% of the filled jobs. …

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 of Art and History 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. As of October 2023, both buildings are closed because of earthquake strength concerns. …

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, Manawatū, and Wellington. State Highway 30 runs southwest to northeast through the city. …