Geography
Larger Rotorua Lakes
The region around the city of Rotorua, in New Zealand's North Island, contains several lakes which have a total area of about 250 square kilometres (97 square miles). The term Rotorua lakes is ambiguous as it has been used historically for a New Zealand administrative area. From biggest to smallest, these are Lake Rotorua (Second Lake), Lake Tarawera, Lake Rotoiti (Small Lake), Lake Rotomā (White Lake), Lake Okataina, Lake Rotoehu (Muddy Lake), Lake Rotomahana (Warm Lake), Lake Rerewhakaaitu, Lake Rotokākahi (Green Lake), Lake Okareka and Lake Tikitapu (Blue lake). There are also smaller lakes including: Lake Okaro, Lake Rotokawa (not to be confused with Lake Rotokawa near Taupō), Lake Rotokawau and Lake Rotongata (Mirror Lake). [1] Most of the lakes have formed due to volcanic activity and some have current geothermal activity. The region is part of the Taupō Volcanic Zone, the world's most active area of explosive silicic volcanic activity in geologically recent time. [2]
Lake Rotorua is the largest of the lakes with Lake Tarawera close behind, it is also the second largest lake in the North Island by surface area and covers 79.8 square kilometres (30.8 square miles). With an depth of only about 10 metres (33 feet) it is smaller than Lake Tarawera by water volume. [3] 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. Mokoia Island, is close to the middle of the lake and is the setting for the legendary tale of Hinemoa and Tūtānekai.
Lake Tarawera is the second largest lake with a surface area of 41.0 square kilometres (15.8 square miles). It is filled partially by sub surface sources from the surrounding lakes including nearby Blue and Green lakes (or Lake Rotokākahi and Lake Tikitapu) associated with the Ōkataina Caldera. [4] : 56 Lake Tarawera is home to various eels and rainbow trout. During the summer the lake is popular for both fishing and water sports, [5] 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 is the third largest lake in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. It is the westernmost in a chain of lakes formed within the Ōkataina 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 34.3 square kilometres (13.2 square miles).
Lake Rotomā 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 north-east of Lake Rotorua in New Zealand's North Island. The others are Lake Rotoiti and Lake Rotoehu. Lake Rotomā formed within the Rotomā Caldera after lava flows blocked its outlet about 10,000 years ago. It is located exactly half-way between the city of Rotorua and town of Whakatāne. The lake covers an area of 11.2 square kilometres (4.3 square miles).
Lake Ōkataina 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 Rotokākahi (Green Lake), Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake), and Lake Ōkāreka. Unlike many other lakes in the region, Lake Ōkataina is completely encircled by native forest. It also has no inlets or outlets. After the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera the lake level increased, to a maximum height about 1930 which dropped to closer to present levels after the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake. The lake is now about 10 m (33 ft) above its pre 1886 level but fluctuates by about 5 m (16 ft). [6] : 16 The lake covers an area of 10.7 square kilometres (4.1 square miles).
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 Whakatāne. It is fed by Lake Rotomā 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). [7] The lake covers an area of 8.1 square kilometres (3.1 square miles).
Lake Rotomahana is a small lake in northern New Zealand, located 25 kilometres (16 miles) to the east of Rotorua. It is immediately south-west of the volcano Mount Tarawera, and its geography was substantially altered by a major eruption in 1886. The lake covers a surface area of 8.9 square kilometres (3.4 square miles).
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 eruption on 10 June 1886 until in 2016 a forgotten survey was rediscovered in Switzerland. This suggested the Pink and White Terrace locations may 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. [8] [9]
Lake Rerewhakaaitu is a small, shallow lake in northern New Zealand, located 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 5.1 square kilometres (2.0 square miles).
Lake Rotokākahi 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 Ōkāreka, and Lake Ōkataina. 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 394.9 metres (1,296 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 4.3 square kilometres (1.7 square miles).
Lake Ōkāreka 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 Rotokākahi (Green Lake), Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake), and Lake Ōkataina. This lake has an adjacent settlement of approximately 600 people. The lake covers a surface area of 3.3 km2 (1.3 sq mi).
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 Rotokākahi (Green Lake), Lake Ōkāreka, and Lake Ōkataina. 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 and pumice 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 (0.54 square miles).
Lake Okaro is south of the Waimangu Volcanic Rift Valley which extends south-west from Lake Rotomahana and the valley contains the Southern Crater Lake, Frying Pan Lake (claimed to be the world's largest hot spring lake, although many of the lakes named above have partial hot spring sources), and Infernal Crater Lake. Lake Rotokawau to the east of Lake Rotorua is a crater lake in a line with Lake Rotongata and Lake Rotoatua which are all believed to have formed following a basaltic dyke extrusion related to the Ōkataina Caldera. [10] There are multiple other small bodies of water, many without official names.
The Taupō Volcanic Zone (TVZ) is a volcanic area in the North Island of New Zealand that has been active for at least the past two million years and is still highly active. Mount Ruapehu marks its south-western end and the zone runs north-eastward through the Taupō and Rotorua areas and offshore into the Bay of Plenty. It is part of the larger Central Volcanic Region that extends further westward through the western Bay of Plenty to the eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula and has been active for four million years. At Taupō the rift volcanic zone is widening east–west at the rate of about 8 mm per year while at Mount Ruapehu it is only 2–4 mm per year but this increases at the north eastern end at the Bay of Plenty coast to 10–15 mm per year. It is named after Lake Taupō, the flooded caldera of the largest volcano in the zone, the Taupō Volcano and contains a large central volcanic plateau as well as other landforms associated with its containing tectonic intra-arc continental Taupō Rift.
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 fissured down the middle by an explosive basaltic eruption in 1886. While the 1886 eruption was basaltic, study has shown there was only a small basalt component to the previous recent rhyolitic predominant eruptions. This eruption was one of New Zealand's largest historical eruptions, and killed an estimated 120 people. The fissures run for about 17 kilometres (11 mi) northeast–southwest.
Te Wairoa was a village close to the shore of Lake Tarawera near Rotorua, New Zealand. The village was buried by volcanic ash in the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera. It was later excavated and is now open as a tourist destination, the Buried Village. The nearby Wairere Falls are also a tourist destination.
Lake Rotokākahi 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, Lake Ōkāreka, and Lake Ōkataina. All lie within the Ōkataina Caldera, along its western edge.
Lake Ōkāreka 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, Lake Tikitapu, and Lake Ōkataina. All lie within the Ōkataina Caldera, along its western edge.
Lake Ōkataina is the northernmost and 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, Lake Tikitapu, and Lake Ōkareka. All lie within the Ōkataina caldera, along its western edge.
Lake Rotomahana is an 890-hectare (2,200-acre) 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 Mount Tarawera. Along with the mountain, it lies within the Ōkataina Caldera. It is the most recently formed larger natural lake in New Zealand, and the deepest in the Rotorua district.
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 Ōkataina Caldera. It is located 18 kilometres (11 mi) to the east of Rotorua, and beneath the peaks of the Tarawera massif i.e. Wahanga, Ruawahia, Tarawera and Koa. Tarawera means "Burnt Spear", named by a visiting hunter who left his bird spears in a hut and on returning the following season found both the spears and hut had been burned down completely.
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 within the Rotorua Caldera in the Bay of Plenty Region.
Lake Rotoiti is a lake in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. It is the northwesternmost in a chain of lakes formed within the Okataina Caldera. The lake is close to the northern shore of its more famous neighbour, Lake Rotorua, and is connected to it via the Ohau Channel. It drains to the Kaituna River, which flows into the Bay of Plenty near Maketu.
The 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera was a violent volcanic eruption that occurred in the early hours of 10 June 1886 at Mount Tarawera, near Rotorua on New Zealand's North Island. The eruption reached an estimated volcanic explosivity index (VEI) of 5 and killed an estimated 120 people, making it the largest and deadliest in New Zealand during the past 500 years, a period that includes the entirety of European history in New Zealand. The eruption began at roughly 2:00 a.m. and lasted for approximately six hours, causing a 10-kilometre-high (6.2 mi) ash column, earthquakes, lightning, and explosions heard as far away as Blenheim in the South Island – more than 500 kilometres (310 mi) away. A 17 kilometres (11 mi) long rift formed across the mountain and surrounding area during the eruption, starting from the Wahanga peak at the mountain's northern end and extending in a southwesterly direction, through Lake Rotomahana and forming the Waimangu Volcanic Rift Valley. This rift is where the basaltic dyke that fed the eruption reached the surface.
The Haroharo Caldera is a 26 by 16 km postulated volcanic feature in Taupō Volcanic Zone of the North Island, New Zealand within the larger and older Ōkataina Caldera. Since 2010 further studies have tended to use the terms Haroharo vent alignment, Utu Caldera, Matahina Caldera, Rotoiti Caldera and a postulated Kawerau Caldera to the features assigned to it. However the name is used in the peer reviewed literature to summarise and group these features based on gravitational and magnetic features.
The Kapenga Caldera in New Zealand’s Taupō Volcanic Zone lies in a low land area immediately south of Lake Rotorua through the Hemo Gap in the Rotorua Caldera rim. At some time more than 60,000 years ago Lake Rotorua drained through the Hemo Gap and some of the Kapenga Caldera floor was likely occupied by a lake, that has been called Kapenga.
Ōkataina Caldera is a volcanic caldera and its associated volcanoes located in Taupō Volcanic Zone of New Zealand's North Island. It has several actual or postulated sub calderas. The Ōkataina Caldera is just east of the smaller Rotorua Caldera and southwest of the much smaller Rotomā Embayment which is usually regarded as an associated volcano. It shows high rates of explosive rhyolitic volcanism although its last eruption was basaltic. The postulated Haroharo Caldera contained within it has sometimes been described in almost interchangeable terms with the Ōkataina Caldera or volcanic complex or centre and by other authors as a separate complex defined by gravitational and magnetic features.. Since 2010 other terms such as the Haroharo vent alignment, Utu Caldera, Matahina Caldera, Rotoiti Caldera and a postulated Kawerau Caldera are often used, rather than a Haroharo Caldera classification.
The relatively small Rotomā Caldera is in the Taupō Volcanic Zone in the North Island of New Zealand.
The Paeroa Fault is a seismically active area in the Taupō District, Waikato Region of the central North Island of New Zealand.
The Ngapouri-Rotomahana Fault is a seismically and volcanically active area of the central North Island of New Zealand.
The Ōkāreka Embayment is a volcanic feature in Taupo Volcanic Zone of New Zealand. It most significant recent volcanic eruption was about 15,700 years ago and this deposited the widespread Rotorua tephra that reached beyond Auckland.
The Taupō Fault Belt contains many almost parallel active faults, and is located in the Taupō Rift of the central North Island of New Zealand geographically between Lake Taupō and the lakes of Rotorua, Tarawera, Rotomahana and Rerewhakaaitu. The potential active fault density is very high, with only 0.1 to 1 km separating the north-east to south-west orientated normal fault strands on detailed mapping of part of the belt. The Waikato River bisects the western region of the belt.
The Tikitere Graben is a intra-rift graben in the North Island of New Zealand that contains the Ohau Channel which drains Lake Rotorua into Lake Rotoiti but with a minimal drop.