Part 1 of a 2 part introduction to the Lakes District of Rotorua
Rotorua has a well earned reputation as a top tourist spot and with 18 lakes located in the region and all very close to each other, its reputation is well deserved. This all happened thanks to some major eruptions thousands of years ago that shaped the region and made it the geothermal hotspot it is today. There is a ton of history to be learned in the region but that is best left to others, instead, I am going to take a short look at some of the main lakes located in the region with some key features and some novice drone shots. Part 1 will cover the big 3 lakes, Rotorua, Rotoiti and Tarawera. View Part 2 here which covers some of the smaller lakes.
Lake Rotorua
The biggest of the lakes in the district, Lake Rotorua provides the ideal geographical location for the city of Rotorua to reside by. The lake itself is surprisingly shallow for a lake its size and this is one of the reasons why the lake itself isn’t an overly popular lake for swimming or water sports with other lakes in the region being more favoured for such activities. The lake also has a lot of surrounding geothermal activity as well which isn’t surprising. The new construction planned along side the harbour with beach and walkways could change how the lake is used but for now it acts as a nice backdrop for those Instagram pics.
Lake Rotoiti
The small lake that actually isn’t that small but who is really keeping track, size isn’t everything (insert joke here) The lake itself has had some problems in the past with water quality but after some hard work and the man made wall used to divert ‘high nutrient content’ water towards the Kaituna River, the lake has made a comeback and is now a great places for fishing and boating. The lake also hosts the Manupirua Hot Springs which can only be accessed by boat and are considered one of the best hidden places in the region.
Lake Tarawera
Finally, a lake you can actually swim in! Well, you can swim in the others but Lake Tarawera is a more popular lake to go swimming in and is a very popular holiday destination with a wide variety of walks, hot beaches and camping areas. And the scenery is something else! And if you are an eager fisher, this lake is a world renowned spot to catch Rainbow Trout, so don’t forget your fishing gear if you want to visit. If not, a good pair of walking shoes and your swimming suit will more than suffice.
Marcus Powell has been living and working in South Korea since 2010. He has now returned back to NZ and works for Digital Natives Academy as the lead education program designer. Aside from writing his own blog, he is also a popular Club DJ, Gamer, Community manager, esports fan and anime enthusiast.
akadjblaze 
Nice! We just published a post on Rotorua, NZ today! We actually had a chance to go white river rafting on the Kaituna River! I wish we did more of that, that was a blast.
Nice, I just had a look through your post, looks like you had a great time! I still need to get over to Hobbiton, I heard it was a bit pricy but glad it is worth the price! And yeah, the rafting in NZ is amazing
Yes for sure, you gotta do it at least once. The price went up after a couple years, but like we said in the post, you can always save money by booking through Peter Pan.