Lake Rotorua
| Lake Rotorua | ||
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| Geographical location | Rotorua Lakes District , Bay of Plenty , New Zealand | |
| Tributaries | Ngongotaha River , Utahina, Awahou, ... | |
| Drain | Ohau Channel | |
| Places on the shore | Rotorua , Ngongotaha | |
| Location close to the shore | Tauranga , Hamilton | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 38 ° 5 ′ 0 ″ S , 176 ° 16 ′ 0 ″ E | |
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| Altitude above sea level | 280 m | |
| surface | 80 km² | |
| Maximum depth | 26 m | |
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particularities |
second largest lake on the North Island (after Lake Taupo and before Lake Wairarapa ) |
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The Lake Rotorua is the second largest lake in the New Zealand North Island . It is located in the Rotorua Lakes district in the Bay of Plenty region north of the center of the island.
The 80 km² large Lake Rotorua is after Lake Taupo and before Lake Wairarapa the second largest inland lake on the North Island of New Zealand. Its average depth is eleven meters, with it being 26 meters deep at its deepest point. Overall, the lake has an almost circular shape. It is located within the caldera of a volcano that erupted around 140,000 years ago. The magma chamber that collapsed during this eruption forms the bed for today's lake. A little further to the east - more precisely around the active volcano Mount Tarawera - there are numerous other lakes.
Lake Rotorua is supplied with fresh water by several tributaries. The rivers that flow into the lake from the southern, volcanically active areas, for example the Utahina, carry much warmer water than those that flow into the lake from the north, such as the Hamurana Springs or the Awahou Stream. Another important tributary is the Ngongotaha River , which is known for fishing for trout . The water flows into Lake Rotoiti via the Ohau Channel .
In the eastern part of the lake, near the center, there is Mokoia Island, an island made of rhyolite .
Because of the pronounced volcanic activity in the area around the lake, the sulfur content of the water is above average. This gives the lake a yellowish-green color.
The southernmost part of the lake, Sulfur Bay , is a geothermal area and is a protected area.
