Mokoia Island
| Mokoia Island | ||
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| Waters | Lake Rotorua | |
| Geographical location | 38 ° 5 ′ 0 ″ S , 176 ° 18 ′ 0 ″ E | |
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| surface | 1.35 km² | |
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Mokoia Island is an island in Lake Rotorua in New Zealand . It has an area of 1.35 km². It is a dome of rhyolite - lava rises, the m to 180 over the lake.
The island is sacred to the Māori of the iwi of Te Arawa and the scene of one of New Zealand's most famous legends. The legend of Hinemoa and Tutanekai has parallels to the classic Greek tale of Hero and Leander , but with a happier ending.
Legend has it that two lovers were forbidden to marry. Hinemoa's father Umukaria , a seacoast chief, forbade her to take a canoe to Tutanekai's village on the island. So Hinemoa decided to swim the two miles across the lake, using the sound of Tutanekai's flute as a guide. As a swimming aid , she tied calabashes to her body and reached the island with her help.
On the coast of the island there are thermal springs , the hot water of which forms the Hinemoa pool (Māori: "Waikimihia").