:Rotorua

The name Rotorua comes from the Māori language, where the full name for the city and lake is {{lang|mi|Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe}}.{{Cite web|title=Rotorua – New Zealand History|url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/keyword/rotorua|access-date=2023-01-10|website=New Zealand History|language=en|archive-date=9 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209202540/https://nzhistory.govt.nz/keyword/rotorua|url-status=live}} 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.Wises New Zealand Guide, 7th Edition, 1979. p383. 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",{{cite web |last=Collins |first=Simon |date=9 July 2003 |title=Sulphur City gases under scrutiny |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3511691 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320155606/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3511691 |archive-date=20 March 2012 |access-date=7 June 2009 |work=The New Zealand Herald}} as well as "Rotten-rua" combining its legitimate name and the rotten smell prevalent.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=13 May 2017 |title=Rotten eggs, Rotorua and Parkinson's disease |url=https://scienceofparkinsons.com/tag/rottenrua/ |access-date=15 December 2023 |website=The Science of Parkinson's |language=en}} Another common nickname is "Roto-Vegas", likening the city's own strip of road flanked by businesses and restaurants to that of Las Vegas.{{cite book |last1=Bardsley |first1=Dianne |title=Comparative Studies in Australian and New Zealand English: Grammar and beyond |last2=Simpson |first2=Jane |publisher=John Benjamins |year=2009 |isbn=978-90-272-4899-2 |editor-last1=Peters |editor-first1=Pam |page=57 |chapter=Hypocoristics in New Zealand and Australian English |editor-last2=Collins |editor-first2=Peter |editor-last3=Smith |editor-first3=Adam}}

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.{{Cite web |title=Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa |url=https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/48122 |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=collections.tepapa.govt.nz}}

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.{{Cite book |last=Anderson |first=Atholl |title=Tangata Whenua |date=November 2015 |publisher=Bridget Williams Books |isbn=9781927131411 |edition=1st |location=Auckland |publication-date=Nov 2015 |pages=178–180 |language=English}} A military expedition into the Bay of Plenty by a combined Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Maru nō Hauraki force in 1818 had set the stage for further raids in the modern Rotorua area. Ngāpuhi and its allies launched an ambitious invasion of the Waikato in 1822, with a battalion led by junior chief Te Pae-o-te-Rangi were ambushed and slaughtered by Ngāti Whakaue for trespassing into Rotorua. This was apparently at the insistence of Te Rauparaha; under Māori customary law the attack demanded utu. Ngāpuhi commander Hongi Hika convened with his fellow chiefs Pōmare I and Te Wera Hauraki to propose war, and thus in February 1823 a Ngāpuhi-led coalition invaded Rotorua.{{cite journal |last1=Tarakawa |first1=Takaanui |author1-link=Takaanui Tarakawa|title=Nga Mahi A Te Wera, Me Nga-Puhi Hoki, Ki Te Tai-Rawhiti / The Doings of Te Wera-Hauraki and Nga-Puhi, on the East Coast, N.Z |journal=Journal of the Polynesian Society |date=1899 |volume=8 |pages=179–187, 235–249}}{{rp|p=242}} The force, which also included Ngāti Whātua and some Waikato Tainui, landed at Tauranga and headed up the Pongakawa valley to attack Mokoia Island{{sfn|Tarakawa|1899|p=242}}{{cite book |last1=Grace |first1=John Te Herekiekie|author1-link=John Grace (Māori leader)|title=Tuwharetoa: The history of the Maori people of the Taupo District|date=1970 |orig-date=1959 |publisher=A.H. & A.W. Reed|location=Auckland, New Zealand |isbn=9780589003739 |page=274}}{{DNZB|title=Te Wera Hauraki |first= Angela|last= Ballara|id=1t83|access-date=23 April 2017}} Te Arawa fell back after the loss of 170 men and were defeated by Ngāpuhi,{{sfn|Tarakawa|1899|p=244-245}} and utu was satisfied.

The first European in the area was probably Phillip Tapsell who was trading from the Bay of Plenty coast at Maketu from 1828. He later married into Te Arawa and became highly regarded by them.{{cite web|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/T/TapsellPhilipOrFelkalsoSpeltFalkHans/TapsellPhilipOrFelkalsoSpeltFalkHans/en|title=1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand – Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023131524/http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/T/TapsellPhilipOrFelkalsoSpeltFalkHans/TapsellPhilipOrFelkalsoSpeltFalkHans/en|archive-date=23 October 2007|df=dmy-all}} Missionaries Henry Williams and Thomas Chapman visited in 1831 and Chapman and his wife established a mission at Te Koutu in 1835.{{cite web|url=http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/default.asp?Find_Quick.asp%3FPersonEssay=1C13|title=Chapman, Anne Maria and Chapman, Thomas – Biography – Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand|access-date=4 June 2009|archive-date=14 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100514213458/http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/default.asp?Find_Quick.asp%3FPersonEssay=1C13|url-status=live}} This was abandoned within a year, but Chapman returned in 1838 and established a second mission at Mokoia Island.

The lakeshore was a prominent site of skirmishes during the New Zealand Wars of the 1860s. William Fox advocated for turning the Rotorua region into a national park, inspired by the Yellowstone in the United States.{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Philippa Mein |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HfnZAQAAQBAJ |title=A Concise History of New Zealand |date=2012-02-06 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-66336-7 |pages=95 |language=en}} Conversely, the Te Arawa community suggested the establishment of a township centred around Rotorua's thermal springs, with the intent of developing a Polynesian Spa and health resort where tourists could indulge in hot pools. In 1880, instead of selling the land, the Ngāti Whakaue people leased 50 acres to the Crown under the Fenton Agreement,[https://www.rotoruamuseum.co.nz/blog/social-history-blog/2017/11/24/fenton-agreement-1880-2030/ The Fenton Agreement 1880–2030] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102095525/https://www.rotoruamuseum.co.nz/blog/social-history-blog/2017/11/24/fenton-agreement-1880-2030/ |date=2 November 2023 }}. Rotorua Museum.[https://www.gtas.nz/the-fenton-agreement The FENTON AGREEMENT The setting up of Rotorua] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006202000/https://www.gtas.nz/the-fenton-agreement |date=6 October 2023 }}. Te Arawa Stories Digital Storehouse. granting the government the authority to offer 99-year leases on their behalf. Revenues from leases helped fund Rotorua Boys' High School, and increased significantly upon the expiry of the 99-year leases.[https://www.rbhs.school.nz/our-school/school-identity/our-history/ Our School History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006201414/https://www.rbhs.school.nz/our-school/school-identity/our-history/ |date=6 October 2023 }}. Official site. The eponymous Fenton Street in the modern city’s CBD bears the judge’s name.[https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/503bcf970ea34251a3841fefdc8debcb# Stories behind the names] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024020204/https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/503bcf970ea34251a3841fefdc8debcb |date=24 October 2023 }}. Rotorua Library. Nevertheless, the enactment of the Thermal Springs District Act in 1881 gave the government exclusive rights to both purchase and lease lands containing hot springs, lakes, or river, and as a result, by the turn of the century, nearly half of the Rotorua blocks were sold. In 1993, the Crown settled a Treaty of Waitangi claim with the Ngāti Whakaue people to honour their broken contract, by agreeing to return the gifted lands that were no longer required for their original use.[https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/36137/judge-fenton-1890 Story: Te Kōti Whenua – Māori Land Court] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006201412/https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/36137/judge-fenton-1890 |date=6 October 2023 }}. Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

The town was connected to Auckland with the opening of the Rotorua Branch railway and commencement of the Rotorua Express train in 1894, resulting in the rapid growth of the town and tourism from this time forward. Guidebooks about the 'Land of Boiling Water' also proliferated. During the 1880s, tourists, especially from Australia, started visiting Rotorua to witness its natural marvels like the Pink and White Terraces until these were destroyed in a volcanic eruption in 1886. Rotorua was established as a borough in 1922, elected its first mayor in 1923, and declared a city in 1962 before becoming a district in 1979.{{cite web|title=Rotorua History|url=https://www.rotorualibrary.govt.nz/heritage-research/rotorua-history|publisher=Rotorua District Library|access-date=13 August 2023|archive-date=28 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528004921/https://www.rotorualibrary.govt.nz/heritage-research/rotorua-history|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Rotorua Caldera}}

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.{{cite journal |last1=Gravley |first1=D.M. |last2=Wilson |first2=C.J.N. |last3=Leonard |first3=G.S. |last4=Cole |first4=J.W. |year=2007 |title=Double trouble: Paired ignimbrite eruptions and collateral subsidence in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand |url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/119/1-2/18/125353/Double-trouble-Paired-ignimbrite-eruptions-and |journal=GSA Bulletin |volume=119 |issue=1–2 |pages=18–30 |doi=10.1130/B25924.1 |access-date=24 October 2023 |archive-date=11 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111233832/https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/119/1-2/18/125353/Double-trouble-Paired-ignimbrite-eruptions-and |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Global Volcanism Program {{!}} Rotorua |url=https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=241816 |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=Smithsonian Institution {{!}} Global Volcanism Program |language=en |archive-date=21 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021100429/https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=241816 |url-status=live }}

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. On 15 August 2011 and 13 July 2017, snowflakes fell in the town centre, and during the July 2017 snowfall, snow accumulated in the nearby Mamaku ranges and in the outer reaches of the district, where snowfall occurs on average once every three years.

{{Weather box

| location = Rotorua (1991–2020)

| metric first = Y

| single line = Y

|Jan high C = 22.9

|Feb high C = 23.1

|Mar high C = 21.1

|Apr high C = 18.1

|May high C = 15.2

|Jun high C = 12.7

|Jul high C = 12.0

|Aug high C = 12.8

|Sep high C = 14.5

|Oct high C = 16.4

|Nov high C = 18.6

|Dec high C = 20.8

| year high C = 17.4

|Jan mean C = 17.7

|Feb mean C = 18.1

|Mar mean C = 16.1

|Apr mean C = 13.4

|May mean C = 10.9

|Jun mean C = 8.6

|Jul mean C = 7.8

|Aug mean C = 8.4

|Sep mean C = 10.1

|Oct mean C = 11.9

|Nov mean C = 13.8

|Dec mean C = 16.2

| year mean C = 12.8

|Jan low C = 12.6

|Feb low C = 13.1

|Mar low C = 11.1

|Apr low C = 8.7

|May low C = 6.6

|Jun low C = 4.4

|Jul low C = 3.7

|Aug low C = 4.1

|Sep low C = 5.8

|Oct low C = 7.4

|Nov low C = 9.0

|Dec low C = 11.5

| year low C = 8.2

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 93.8

|Feb rain mm = 100.4

|Mar rain mm = 100.3

|Apr rain mm = 133.0

|May rain mm = 130.2

|Jun rain mm = 131.9

|Jul rain mm = 137.4

|Aug rain mm = 125.2

|Sep rain mm = 106.6

|Oct rain mm = 92.9

|Nov rain mm = 86.8

|Dec rain mm = 117.1

|year rain mm =

| Jan rain days = 7.7

| Feb rain days = 7.6

| Mar rain days = 8.1

| Apr rain days = 9.3

| May rain days = 9.9

| Jun rain days = 10.9

| Jul rain days = 11.4

| Aug rain days = 12.1

| Sep rain days = 11

| Oct rain days = 10.3

| Nov rain days = 9.5

| Dec rain days = 10.8

| unit rain days = 1.0 mm

| Jan humidity = 78.8

| Feb humidity = 81.4

| Mar humidity = 81.5

| Apr humidity = 83.4

| May humidity = 87.1

| Jun humidity = 87.5

| Jul humidity = 87.3

| Aug humidity = 85.9

| Sep humidity = 81.6

| Oct humidity = 79.7

| Nov humidity = 77.2

| Dec humidity = 78.9

| year humidity = 82.5

| Jan sun = 242.9

| Feb sun = 205.9

| Mar sun = 199.7

| Apr sun = 170.5

| May sun = 145.1

| Jun sun = 119.1

| Jul sun = 130.7

| Aug sun = 152.1

| Sep sun = 155.1

| Oct sun = 190.8

| Nov sun = 200.1

| Dec sun = 215.8

| year sun = 2127.8

| Jan percentsun =54

| Feb percentsun =54

| Mar percentsun =52

| Apr percentsun =51

| May percentsun =46

| Jun percentsun =41

| Jul percentsun =43

| Aug percentsun =46

| Sep percentsun =43

| Oct percentsun =47

| Nov percentsun =47

| Dec percentsun =47

| year percentsun =

| Jan light = 14.5

| Feb light = 13.5

| Mar light = 12.3

| Apr light = 11.1

| May light = 10.1

| Jun light = 9.6

| Jul light = 9.8

| Aug light = 10.7

| Sep light = 11.9

| Oct light = 13.1

| Nov light = 14.2

| Dec light = 14.8

| year light=

|source 1 = NIWA Climate Data (sun and humidity 1981–2010){{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240520001949/https://niwa.co.nz/climate-and-weather/climate-data-and-activities

| archive-date = 20 May 2024

| url = https://niwa.co.nz/climate-and-weather/climate-data-and-activities

| title = Climate data and activities

| publisher= NIWA

| access-date = 20 May 2024}}{{cite web

| url = http://www.niwa.co.nz/education-and-training/schools/resources/climate

| title = Climate Data and Activities

| publisher = NIWA

| access-date = 19 October 2013

| archive-date = 7 January 2019

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190107073139/https://www.niwa.co.nz/education-and-training/schools/resources/climate%0a

| url-status = live

}}

|source 2 = Weather Spark{{cite web

|url = https://weatherspark.com/y/144936/Average-Weather-in-Rotorua-New-Zealand-Year-Round

|title = Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Rotorua

|publisher = Weather Spark

|access-date = 10 Dec 2024}}

| date = August 2010

}}

{{Main|Lakes of Rotorua}}

The Rotorua region has 17 lakes, known collectively as the Lakes of Rotorua. Fishing, waterskiing, swimming and other water activities are popular in summer. Several of the lakes are stocked for sports fishing with trout from the Fish and Game New Zealand hatchery at Ngongotahā. The lakes are also used for event venues; Rotorua hosted the 2007 World Waterski Championships and Lake Rotorua was the venue for the World Blind Sailing Championships in March 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.sailing.org/news/5825.php|title=IFDS World Blind Sailing Champs Come To Rotorua In 2009|date=20 October 2008|website=sailing.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004213424/http://www.sailing.org/news/5825.php|archive-date=4 October 2015|url-status=dead|access-date=19 November 2015}} Lake Rotorua is also used as a departure and landing point for float planes.

;Inner suburbs

{{Columns-list|colwidth=15em|

• Rotorua Central
• Fenton Park
• Glenholme
• Ohinemutu
• Ōwhata
• Mangakakahi
• Western Heights
• Selwyn Heights
• Sunnybrook
• Westbrook
• Fordlands
• Springfield
• Tihi-Ōtonga
• Lynmore
• Victoria
• Pukehangi
• Kawaha Point
• Koutu
• Hillcrest
• Utuhina
• Whakarewarewa
• Ngāpuna
• Holdens Bay
• Hannahs Bay
• Fairy Springs
• Pomare
• Poets' Corner
• Kuirau

}}

;Outer suburbs

{{Columns-list|colwidth=15em|

• Hamurana
• Ngongotahā
• Tikitere
• Rotokawa
• Tarawera
• Okareka
• Horohoro

}}

The Rotorua urban area, as defined by Statistics New Zealand, covers {{Convert|46.06|km2||abbr=on}} and incorporates 26 statistical areas.{{Cite web|title=ArcGIS Web Application|url=https://statsnz.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6f49867abe464f86ac7526552fe19787| access-date=22 April 2024|website=statsnz.maps.arcgis.com}} It has an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2018|Rotorua|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2018|||y}}.{{NZ population data 2018||||y}}

Before the 2023 census, the urban area had a larger boundary, covering {{Convert|48.04|km2||abbr=on}}. Using that boundary, The Rotorua urban area had a usual resident population of 54,204 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 5,289 people (10.8%) since the 2013 census. There were 26,211 males and 27,993 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.936 males per female. Of the total population, 12,366 people (22.8%) were aged up to 15 years, 11,052 (20.4%) were 15 to 29, 22,980 (42.4%) were 30 to 64, and 7,809 (14.4%) were 65 or older.{{Cite web|title=Age and sex by ethnic group (grouped total response), for census usually resident population counts, 2006, 2013, and 2018 Censuses (urban rural areas)|url=http://nzdotstat.stats.govt.nz/wbos/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=TABLECODE8318|access-date=2020-09-13|website=nzdotstat.stats.govt.nz|archive-date=9 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009205114/http://nzdotstat.stats.govt.nz/wbos/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=TABLECODE8318|url-status=live}}

In terms of ethnicity, 59.2% were European/Pākehā, 42.3% were Māori, 6.2% were Pacific peoples, 11.5% were Asian, and 1.5% were other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). Rotorua has the highest proportion of Māori of any city in New Zealand.{{Cite web |title=Rotorua Facts You Need To Know {{!}} Rotorua Super Passes |url=https://superpasses.co.nz/blog/rotorua-facts/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |language=en}}

{{Main|Rotorua Lakes District}}

In October 2013, Steve Chadwick was elected Mayor of Rotorua and was re-elected in the 2016 mayoral election and the 2019 mayoral election. She previously served as the Member of Parliament for Rotorua between 1999 and 2008, and served as a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour Government.{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3599271|title=Local vote: District Councils ( A to R)|work=The New Zealand Herald|date=11 October 2004|access-date=29 March 2009|archive-date=20 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320155316/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3599271|url-status=live}}

In 2022, Tania Tapsell was elected as the Mayor of Rotorua. She is the first woman of Māori descent to hold the role.{{Cite web |date=2022-05-10 |title='Stop the spend': Tania Tapsell announces run for Rotorua mayor |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/466826/stop-the-spend-tania-tapsell-announces-run-for-rotorua-mayor |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz |archive-date=31 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231075058/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/466826/stop-the-spend-tania-tapsell-announces-run-for-rotorua-mayor |url-status=live }}

Rotorua is covered by the Rotorua electorate for the general roll and the Waiariki electorate for the Māori roll.{{Cite web|title=2020 General Election electorates {{!}} Vote NZ|url=https://vote.nz/maps/2020-general-election-electorates/|access-date=2021-02-20|website=vote.nz|language=en-NZ|archive-date=7 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207160630/https://www.vote.nz/maps/2020-general-election-electorates/|url-status=live}}

In 2022, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Rotorua District was $4.241 billion, representing 1.2% of New Zealand's total GDP. The sector with the largest contribution to the Rotorua District GDP was high value services (professional, managerial, as well as scientific and technical occupations), at 20%. This is less than the 26.7% contribution that high value services make to the national economy. The next highest contribution to the district GDP was from goods-producing industries representing 17.8% in the district GDP, versus 18.5% in the national economy. Primary industries, agriculture and forestry, contributed 10.2%, compared with 5.8% in the national economy.{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=Structure of Rotorua District's Economy |url=https://ecoprofile.infometrics.co.nz/rotorua+District/Gdp/Structure |access-date=24 October 2023 |website=Infometrics |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129134737/https://ecoprofile.infometrics.co.nz/Rotorua%2bDistrict/Gdp/Structure |url-status=live }}

As a major visitor destination, Rotorua District has a much higher proportion of people in employed in accommodation (3.3%) than the national average (1.1%). Tourism contributed $231 million (5.5%) to the district GDP, compared with 2.8% nationally. The four largest industries in the district, based on employment, were hospitals, accommodation, cafes and restaurants, and primary education.{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=Rotorua District – Largest industries |url=https://ecoprofile.infometrics.co.nz/rotorua%2bDistrict/Employment/LargestIndustries |access-date=24 October 2023 |website=Infometrics |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129134806/https://ecoprofile.infometrics.co.nz/Rotorua%2bDistrict/Employment/LargestIndustries |url-status=live }}

Image:Tikitere Mud Pool n.jpg ("Hell's Gate"), Rotorua.]]

Image:Rotorua PoW.jpg

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|2023|October}}, both buildings are closed because of earthquake strength concerns.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Laura |date=18 July 2023 |title=Rotorua museum: Millions would have to be repaid if full restoration doesn't continue |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/494022/rotorua-museum-millions-would-have-to-be-repaid-if-full-restoration-doesn-t-continue |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029212247/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/494022/rotorua-museum-millions-would-have-to-be-repaid-if-full-restoration-doesn-t-continue |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2021-06-30 |title=Rotorua's iconic Blue Baths closed after earthquake report |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/125612781/rotoruas-iconic-blue-baths-closed-after-earthquake-report |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=Stuff |language=en |archive-date=5 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205160759/https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/125612781/rotoruas-iconic-blue-baths-closed-after-earthquake-report |url-status=live }}

There are many geothermal attractions in the Rotorua area, including:{{Cite web |title=Geothermal Wonders |url=https://www.rotoruanz.com/things-to-do/geothermal-wonders |access-date=15 December 2023|website=RotoruaNZ |language=en-nz|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322132904/https://www.rotoruanz.com/things-to-do/geothermal-wonders|archive-date=22 March 2023}}

• Kuirau Park, in the central city{{Cite web |title=Free Hot Pool & Geothermal Park {{!}} Kuirau Park |url=https://www.rotoruanz.com/things-to-do/family-fun/kuirau-park |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=RotoruaNZ |language=en |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029212249/https://www.rotoruanz.com/things-to-do/family-fun/kuirau-park |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=13 December 2006 |title=Rotorua park eruption spews out mud and rocks |work=The New Zealand Herald |agency=The Daily Post |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/volcanoes/news/article.cfm?c_id=357&objectid=10415083 |url-status=live |access-date=5 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320155224/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/volcanoes/news/article.cfm?c_id=357&objectid=10415083 |archive-date=20 March 2012}}
• Government Gardens, including Sulphur Point{{NZHPT|7015|Government Gardens Historic Area|24 October 2023}}
• Te Puia – a visitor attraction located in the Whakarewarewa volcanic valley, and home of the Pōhutu Geyser
• Tikitere – Hell's Gate Geothermal Park & Mud Spa{{Cite web |last=Sabin |first=Brook |date=2022-02-05 |title=Hell's Gate: The valley of thermal secrets |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/experiences/maori-culture/300510491/hells-gate-the-valley-of-thermal-secrets |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=Stuff |language=en |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029213340/https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/experiences/maori-culture/300510491/hells-gate-the-valley-of-thermal-secrets |url-status=live }}
• Te Wairoa ("The Buried Village") — so named after it was buried by the 1886 Mount Tarawera eruption
• Lake Rotomahana
• Waimangu Volcanic Valley
• Waikite Valley Thermal Pools{{Cite web |title=Waikite Valley Thermal Pools |url=https://www.rotoruanz.com/things-to-do/geothermal-wonders/waikite-valley-thermal-pools |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=RotoruaNZ |language=en |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029212620/https://www.rotoruanz.com/things-to-do/geothermal-wonders/waikite-valley-thermal-pools |url-status=live }}

The especially pungent smell in the central-east 'Te Ngae' area is due to the dense sulphur deposits located next to the southern boundary of the Government Gardens, in the area known as 'Sulphur Point'.

Another of Rotorua's attractions is mountain biking. Rotorua was listed as one of the Top 6 mountain biking destinations globally by the International Mountain Biking Association in 2015, when they awarded Rotorua the gold level ride centre status.{{Cite web |date=2015-08-06 |title=Rotorua Gets the Gold From IMBA |url=https://www.pinkbike.com/news/rotorua-gets-the-gold-from-imba-2015.html |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=Pinkbike |language=en |archive-date=24 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024020206/https://www.pinkbike.com/news/rotorua-gets-the-gold-from-imba-2015.html |url-status=live }} The Whakarewarewa forest includes over 150 km of mountain bike trails{{Cite web |date=2020-03-24 |title=Bike |url=https://redwoods.co.nz/bike/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=The Redwoods – Whakarewarewa Forest, Rotorua, New Zealand |language=en |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029213559/https://redwoods.co.nz/bike/ |url-status=live }} and in August 2006 was a host of the UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships.{{Cite web |date=2005-01-13 |title=2006 UCI MTB and Trials World Champs, Rotorua, New Zealand |url=https://www.pinkbike.com/news/article2350.html |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=Pinkbike |language=en |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029213347/https://www.pinkbike.com/news/article2350.html |url-status=live }} Each year, from 2015–present, Rotorua has hosted a round of the Crankworx World Tour.{{Cite web |title=Crankworx » Rotorua |url=https://www.crankworx.com/festival/rotorua/ |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=Crankworx |language=en |archive-date=24 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024020204/https://www.crankworx.com/festival/rotorua/ |url-status=dead }}

The Rotorua Pistol club is among the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and hosted the 2013 Australasian IPSC Handgun Championship.{{Cite web |title=GLOCK News: Team GLOCK Competitors Win Overall Match and Hi-Lady Standard Division at 2013 IPSC Australasia Championships |url=https://www.corrections1.com/products/firearms/press-releases/glock-news-team-glock-competitors-win-overall-match-and-hi-lady-standard-division-at-2013-ipsc-australasia-championships-FEySWj7ShAa6JEiw/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=Corrections1 |language=en |archive-date=3 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203163802/https://www.corrections1.com/products/firearms/press-releases/glock-news-team-glock-competitors-win-overall-match-and-hi-lady-standard-division-at-2013-ipsc-australasia-championships-FEySWj7ShAa6JEiw/ |url-status=live }}

The Kaituna River, 15 minutes drive northeast of the CBD, provides class 5 whitewater kayaking and rafting through a spectacular tree lined gorge.{{Cite news |last=Johannsen |first=Dana |date=20 April 2017 |title=The River People: Death and Life on the Kaituna River |work=New Zealand Herald |url=http://features.nzherald.co.nz/river-people/ |access-date=24 October 2023 |archive-date=5 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205112406/http://features.nzherald.co.nz/river-people/ |url-status=live }}

Another visitor attraction in the Ngongotahā area is the Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre. It is a captive breeding facility and visitor centre located in the Ngongotahā Valley. Wingspan undertakes conservation, education and research activities related to birds of prey found in New Zealand, and provides demonstrations of falconry.{{Cite web |last=James |first=Shauni |date=25 March 2022 |title=Wingspan continues to soar to new heights |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/wingspan-national-bird-of-prey-centre-soaring-into-30th-anniversary/CURKZFXHNQCRZL5DENPYEQGK7M/ |access-date=2022-06-14 |work=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ |archive-date=26 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326064353/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/wingspan-national-bird-of-prey-centre-soaring-into-30th-anniversary/CURKZFXHNQCRZL5DENPYEQGK7M/ |url-status=live }}

Rotorua is known for its Māori cultural tourism.{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Te tāpoi Māori – Māori tourism |encyclopedia=Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |last=Diamond |first=Paul |url=http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/te-tapoi-maori-maori-tourism |access-date=19 March 2024 |date=11 March 2010}}

File:Skyline of Rotorua.jpeg

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, Manawatu, and Wellington.

State Highway 30 runs southwest to northeast through the city. It enters the city in the southwest (running concurrently with SH 5), before crossing the southern suburbs to the shore of Lake Rotorua east of the city centre. It then runs through the suburb of Te Ngae, before splitting off SH 33 to continue eastwards.

State Highway 30A runs northwest to southeast, connecting State Highways 5 and 30 with each other via the city centre.

Rotorua has a local bus service,{{cite web|url=https://www.baybus.co.nz/rotorua/rotorua-urban/|title=Rotorua Urban – Baybus|website=www.baybus.co.nz|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-date=20 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120100643/https://www.baybus.co.nz/rotorua/rotorua-urban/|url-status=live}} with 11 routes under the Baybus brand, serving the urban area, mostly at half-hourly intervals,{{Cite web|title=Rotorua Urban – Baybus|url=https://www.baybus.co.nz/rotorua/rotorua-urban/|access-date=2020-09-09|website=www.baybus.co.nz|archive-date=20 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120100643/https://www.baybus.co.nz/rotorua/rotorua-urban/|url-status=live}} operated by Reesby Buses.{{Cite web|title=Travel by Bus – Rotorua Lakes Council|url=https://www.rotorualakescouncil.nz/our-city/gettingaroundrotorua/Pages/Travel-by-Bus.aspx|access-date=2020-09-09|website=www.rotorualakescouncil.nz|language=en-NZ|archive-date=21 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921122308/https://www.rotorualakescouncil.nz/our-city/gettingaroundrotorua/Pages/Travel-by-Bus.aspx|url-status=dead}} Bike racks were introduced in 2017{{Cite news|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=11911376|title=Tauranga to get bike racks for buses|date=2017-08-25|work=The New Zealand Herald|access-date=2018-08-31|language=en-NZ|issn=1170-0777|archive-date=1 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901044757/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=11911376|url-status=live}} and Bee Cards for fares on 27 July 2020.{{Cite web|title=Buses and transport|url=https://www.boprc.govt.nz/living-in-the-bay/getting-around/buses-and-transport/|access-date=2020-09-09|website=Bay of Plenty Regional Council {{!}} Toi Moana|language=en-NZ|archive-date=8 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908040842/https://www.boprc.govt.nz/living-in-the-bay/getting-around/buses-and-transport|url-status=live}} Trial commuter services between Rotorua and Tauranga are running in each direction until the end of 2021.{{Cite web|title=Rotorua to Tauranga Tertiary/Commuter – Baybus|url=https://www.baybus.co.nz/regional-tertiarycommuter-services/regional-tertiarycommuter-services/rotorua-to-tauranga-tertiarycommuter/|access-date=2021-08-14|website=www.baybus.co.nz|archive-date=14 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814070701/https://www.baybus.co.nz/regional-tertiarycommuter-services/regional-tertiarycommuter-services/rotorua-to-tauranga-tertiarycommuter/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=Tauranga to Rotorua Tertiary/Commuter – Baybus|url=https://www.baybus.co.nz/regional-tertiarycommuter-services/regional-tertiarycommuter-services/tauranga-to-rotorua-tertiarycommuter/|access-date=2021-08-14|website=www.baybus.co.nz|archive-date=14 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814070701/https://www.baybus.co.nz/regional-tertiarycommuter-services/regional-tertiarycommuter-services/tauranga-to-rotorua-tertiarycommuter/|url-status=live}} The city is also served by InterCity{{Cite web|last=InterCity|title=New Zealand InterCity® Bus Route Map {{!}} NZ's #1 Bus Network|url=https://www.intercity.co.nz/travel-info/route-map|access-date=2020-09-09|website=www.intercity.co.nz|language=en-NZ|archive-date=21 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921124941/https://www.intercity.co.nz/travel-info/route-map|url-status=live}} and services to local tourist sites.{{Cite web|title=Rotorua Bus and Coach Tours|url=https://www.tourism.net.nz/region/rotorua/tours/bus-and-coach-tours|website=New Zealand Tourism Guide|access-date=10 September 2020|archive-date=15 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415230020/https://www.tourism.net.nz/region/rotorua/tours/bus-and-coach-tours|url-status=live}}

Edwin Robertson, who died aged 74 in 1931,{{Cite web|date=21 Aug 1931|title=PIONEER PASSES. BAY OF PLENTY TIMES|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BOPT19310821.2.25|access-date=2020-09-10|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921132359/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BOPT19310821.2.25|url-status=live}} started with pack horses in 1869 and ran coaches from 1873.{{Cite web|date=25 Dec 1895|title=ROBERTSON'S NEW STABLES. HOT LAKES CHRONICLE|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HLC18951225.2.8|access-date=2020-09-09|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921145144/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HLC18951225.2.8|url-status=live}} In 1902, the Tauranga route was sold and became Robertson & Co,{{Cite web|date=5 Mar 1902|title=Bay of Plenty Times |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BOPT19020305.2.5|access-date=2020-09-09|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921151032/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BOPT19020305.2.5|url-status=live}} then, about 1903, Rotorua Motor Coaching Co. Ltd. In 1904, Hot Lakes Transport, which ran trips to Taupō,{{Cite web|title=Hot Lakes Transport Co. c1900-1920|url=http://rotorua.kete.net.nz/rotorua_transport/images/show/2985-hot-lakes-transport-co-c1900-1920|access-date=2020-09-10|website=rotorua.kete.net.nz|language=en|archive-date=4 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204120628/http://rotorua.kete.net.nz/rotorua_transport/images/show/2985-hot-lakes-transport-co-c1900-1920|url-status=live}} Waiotapu and all the lakes,{{Cite web|title=Hot Lakes Transport Co. Map of Tours c1910|url=http://rotorua.kete.net.nz/rotorua_transport/images/show/2986-hot-lakes-transport-co-map-of-tours-c1910|access-date=2020-09-10|website=rotorua.kete.net.nz|language=en|archive-date=4 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204120619/http://rotorua.kete.net.nz/rotorua_transport/images/show/2986-hot-lakes-transport-co-map-of-tours-c1910|url-status=live}} and Rotorua Motor Coaching added motor cars to their fleets of coaches.{{Cite web|date=10 Sep 1904|title=MOTORS AND MOTORING. NEW ZEALAND HERALD|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19040910.2.69.9|access-date=2020-09-09|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921133358/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19040910.2.69.9|url-status=live}} In 1905 E. Robertson & Co moved from Ohinemutu to the new town, close to the new railway station, which remained the main stop until InterCity moved to their stop from Hinemoa / Fenton Street{{Cite web|title=Car outside Tourist Booking office; Circa 1910; OP-823 on NZ Museums|url=https://nzmuseums.co.nz/collections/3064/objects/1067/car-outside-tourist-booking-office|access-date=2020-09-10|website=eHive|language=en|archive-date=23 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923054453/https://nzmuseums.co.nz/collections/3064/objects/1067/car-outside-tourist-booking-office|url-status=live}} to the Tourism Office in 1995.{{Cite web|title=Tourism Rotorua & Bus Stop|url=http://rotorua.kete.net.nz/site/images/show/331-tourism-rotorua-and-bus-stop|access-date=2020-09-09|website=rotorua.kete.net.nz|language=en|archive-date=4 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204115714/http://rotorua.kete.net.nz/site/images/show/331-tourism-rotorua-and-bus-stop|url-status=live}} The last coach ran in 1919.{{Cite web|date=2015-10-30|title=Rotorua Transport Companies of Yesteryear.|url=http://rotoruadistrictlibrary.blogspot.com/2015/10/rotorua-transport-companies-of.html|access-date=2020-09-09|website=Rotorua Library|archive-date=8 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208082418/http://rotoruadistrictlibrary.blogspot.com/2015/10/rotorua-transport-companies-of.html|url-status=live}} When Hot Lakes Transport's assets were sold in 1920, they had 10 coaches and 3 motor cars.{{Cite web|date=28 Sep 1920|title=LOCAL AND GENERAL. TE PUKE TIMES|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TPT19200928.2.4|access-date=2020-09-09|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921141321/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TPT19200928.2.4|url-status=live}} In September 1920, Rotorua Motor Transport Co. was formed and took over Hot Lakes Transport Co. and Rotorua Motor Coaching Co,{{Cite web|date=9 Sep 1920|title=Bay of Plenty Times |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BOPT19200909.2.4|access-date=2020-09-09|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921132220/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BOPT19200909.2.4|url-status=live}} continuing with similar services.{{Cite web|title=Rotorua Motor Transport Co. Ltd c1916|url=http://rotorua.kete.net.nz/rotorua_transport/images/show/2987-rotorua-motor-transport-co-ltd-c1916|access-date=2020-09-10|website=rotorua.kete.net.nz|language=en|archive-date=4 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204120612/http://rotorua.kete.net.nz/rotorua_transport/images/show/2987-rotorua-motor-transport-co-ltd-c1916|url-status=live}} In 1926, a consortium of local operators formed Rotorua Bus Co.{{Cite web|date=11 Jun 1926|title=COMMERCIAL. NEW ZEALAND HERALD|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19260611.2.34|access-date=2020-09-09|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921134539/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19260611.2.34|url-status=live}} During 1922, Kusab's transport company became K Motors, which was taken over by the railways in 1938.{{Cite web|title=Legends of the Lakes… — Rotorua|url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Gov13_06Rail-t1-body-d11.html|access-date=2020-09-10|website=nzetc.victoria.ac.nz|archive-date=27 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927190251/http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Gov13_06Rail-t1-body-d11.html|url-status=live}} Rotorua Motor Transport and Rotorua Bus Co followed in 1940{{Cite web|date=11 Dec 1940|title=STATE PURCHASE. GISBORNE HERALD|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GISH19401211.2.5|access-date=2020-09-09|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921142129/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GISH19401211.2.5|url-status=live}} and all became part of New Zealand Railways Road Services.{{Cite web|date=29 Apr 1940|title=TRANSFER OF SERVICE. BAY OF PLENTY BEACON|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BPB19400429.2.33|access-date=2020-09-09|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921135610/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BPB19400429.2.33|url-status=live}}

Rotorua Regional Airport is located {{convert|9|km|mi|abbr=on|0}} northeast of the city centre, off State Highway 30. Air New Zealand provides daily turbo-prop flights between Rotorua and Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch airports. Previously Qantas also operated Boeing 737 aircraft from Christchurch, but upon their departure from domestic flights in New Zealand this was discontinued.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

Scenic and chartered flights in both helicopters and float planes are operated by Volcanic Air, who are based on Rotorua's lake front.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

From 2009 to 2015 there was also an international link, with direct Sydney to Rotorua flights.[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503438&objectid=11439124 "Rotorua's last flight to Sydney takes off"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918033642/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503438&objectid=11439124 |date=18 September 2016 }}, Apr 27, 2015, NZ Herald

Rotorua is connected to the rail network by the Rotorua Branch line from Putāruru. Until 2001, passenger trains ran from Auckland to Rotorua via Hamilton daily using Silver Fern railcars, terminating north of the town centre at Koutu (the original station on Amohau Street was closed and relocated to Koutu in 1989). However, owing to poor advertising of the service and the location of the station being a 15-minute walk from the town centre in an industrial area, passenger services stopped in October 2001. Freight services on the line declined over the decades until the nightly freight service stopped in 2000, largely due to a continual move of freight and passengers onto road transport using ever-improving highways in the region. The line is currently disused.

{{See also|List of schools in the Bay of Plenty region#Rotorua District}}

Rotorua is home to the central campus of Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, which provides a range of certificates, diplomas and a limited number of degree-level programmes. The largest programmes on offer are Māori language, nursing, forestry, business, computing, tourism and hospitality. {{As of|2022|June}}, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology is a business division of Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology.{{Cite web |title=About Us {{!}} Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology |url=https://www.toiohomai.ac.nz/about |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=www.toiohomai.ac.nz |archive-date=22 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022231252/https://www.toiohomai.ac.nz/about |url-status=live }}

Rotorua has five secondary schools:

• John Paul College, a co-educational, state-integrated Catholic school for Years 7–13 with about 1200 students{{cite web |url=http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?school=532&district=24®ion=4 |title=Student Population – John Paul College |publisher=Ministry of Education |access-date=30 July 2020 |archive-date=22 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222050001/https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?school=532&district=24®ion=4 |url-status=live }}
• Rotorua Boys' High School, a state boys school for Years 9–13 with about 1000 students{{cite web |url=http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?school=152&district=24®ion=4 |title=Student Population – Rotorua Boys High School |publisher=Ministry of Education |access-date=30 July 2020 |archive-date=22 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222050017/https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?school=152&district=24®ion=4 |url-status=live }}
• Rotorua Girls' High School, a state girls school for Years 9–13 with about 600 students{{cite web |url=http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?school=153&district=24®ion=4 |title=Student Population – Rotorua Girls High School |publisher=Ministry of Education |access-date=30 July 2020 |archive-date=22 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222050032/https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?school=153&district=24®ion=4 |url-status=live }}
• Rotorua Lakes High School serving the eastern suburbs. A co-educational state school for Years 9–13 with about 700 students{{cite web |url=http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?school=154&district=24®ion=4 |title=Student Population – Rotorua Lakes High School |publisher=Ministry of Education |access-date=30 July 2020 |archive-date=22 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222050044/https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?school=154&district=24®ion=4 |url-status=live }}
• Western Heights High School serving the western suburbs. A co-educational state school for Years 9–13 with about 1200 students{{cite web |url=http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?school=151&district=24®ion=4 |title=Student Population – Western Heights High School |publisher=Ministry of Education |access-date=30 July 2020 |archive-date=22 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222050057/https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?school=151&district=24®ion=4 |url-status=live }}

Students can also attend Te Rangihakahaka Centre for Science and Techbnology, a Māori- and English-medium special character school from years 1–10.{{cite web |url=https://terangihakahaka.school.nz/ |title=Te Rangihakahaka Centre for Science and Technology |publisher=Te Rangihakahaka |access-date=30 July 2020 |archive-date=13 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813110800/https://terangihakahaka.school.nz/ |url-status=live }} It currently has around 100 students.{{cite web |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?district=24®ion=4&school=871 |title=Student Population – Te Rangihakahaka Centre for Science and Technology |publisher=Ministry of Education |access-date=30 July 2020 |archive-date=28 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928071108/https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?district=24®ion=4&school=871 |url-status=live }} Students here need to attend a mainstream secondary school or Kura Kaupapa Māori for their senior secondary schooling.

Rotorua has four Kura Kaupapa Māori:

• Te Wharekura o Ngāti Rongomai years 0–13 with about 115 students in eastern Rotorua{{cite web |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?district=24®ion=4&school=878 |title=Student Population – Te Wharekura o Ngāti Rongomai |publisher=Ministry of Education |access-date=30 July 2020 |archive-date=28 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928081222/https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?district=24®ion=4&school=878 |url-status=live }}
• Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Te Koutu years 0–13 with about 240 students in western Rotorua{{cite web |url=http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?school=1153&district=24®ion=4 |title=Student Population – Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Te Koutu |publisher=Ministry of Education |access-date=30 July 2020 |archive-date=23 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923172902/https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?district=24®ion=4&school=1153 |url-status=live }}
• Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Ruamata years 0–13 with about 240 students in semi-rural eastern Rotorua{{cite web |url=http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?school=1165&district=24®ion=4 |title=Student Population – Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Ruamata |publisher=Ministry of Education |access-date=30 July 2020 |archive-date=8 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808065954/https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?district=24®ion=4&school=1165 |url-status=live }}
• Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Hurungaterangi years 0–8 with about 80 students in central Rotorua{{cite web |url=http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?school=3103&district=24®ion=4 |title=Student Population – Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Hurungaterangi |publisher=Ministry of Education |access-date=30 July 2020 |archive-date=22 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222050140/https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/population/year?school=3103&district=24®ion=4 |url-status=live }}

Rotorua has several media organisations, including the Rotorua Daily Post, More FM Rotorua and The Hits Rotorua.

Rotorua's sister cities are:{{cite web|url=https://www.rotorualakescouncil.nz/our-city/sistercities|title=Rotorua Sister Cities|publisher=Rotorua Lakes Council|access-date=16 May 2022|archive-date=3 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503221018/https://www.rotorualakescouncil.nz/our-city/sistercities|url-status=live}}

• Beppu, Japan
• Klamath Falls, United States
• Lake Macquarie, Australia
• Wuzhong (Suzhou), China

{{Category see also|People from Rotorua}}

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• Valerie Adams, Olympic shot putter
• Steven Adams, basketball player
• Israel Adesanya, mixed martial artist, former UFC Middleweight Champion
• Michael Barker, drummer
• Jean Batten, aviator
• Sam Bewley, Olympic cyclist
• Manu Bennett, actor
• Trent Boult, New Zealand cricketer
• Simeon Brown, New Zealand politician
• Scott Curry, All Blacks 7s, Bay of Plenty 7s
• Cliff Curtis, actor
• Julian Dean, road racing cyclist
• Mike Delany, rugby union player, All Black
• Dame Susan Devoy, squash player
• Tom Donnelly, All Black, rugby union player
• Alan Duff, writer
• Gary Jeshel Forrester, musician, writer, academic
• Jack Foster, Olympic marathon runner
• Ian George, artist of Cook Islands descent.
• Kay George, artist based in Cook Islands and New Zealand
• Tony Gordon, rugby league player and coach
• Bevan Hari, hockey player
• Dylan Hartley, rugby union player (For the English National Team.)
• Tame Iti, maori activist
• David Kosoof, Olympic hockey player
• Danny Lee, professional golfer
• Ranginui Parewahawaha Leonard, New Zealand weaver, farmer and kuia
• Dennis List, poet and writer
• Angus Hikairo Macfarlane, educator
• Gina Matchitt, Māori jeweller, weaver and artist
• Steve McDowall, All Black
• Hinematau McNeill (also writing as Naomi Te Hiini) academic and treaty negotiator
• Jon Mark, Musician. solo artist and co-founder of Mark-Almond
• Tony Marsh, rugby union player (for French national team)
• Elizabeth Marvelly, soprano
• Liam Messam, rugby union player (for Waikato and NZ)
• Sir Howard Morrison, entertainer
• Temuera Morrison, actor.
• Craig Newby, All Black
• Caleb Ralph, All Black
• William Ripia, rugby union player (Wellington Hurricanes, Western Force, Bay of Plenty, Otago Highlanders, Maori All Black)
• Joe Royal, rugby union player (Bay of Plenty Steamers and Māori All Blacks)
• Ben Sandford, Olympic men's skeleton racer
• Wayne "Buck" Shelford, former All Black
• Miriama Smith, actress
• Sir Peter Tapsell, politician
• Te Pokiha Taranui, tribal leader and soldier
• Ngahuia Te Awekotuku, academic, scholar activist, Emeritus Professor
• Sir Gordon Tietjens, New Zealand and Samoan Sevens rugby coach
• Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, rugby league player (Sydney Roosters and New Zealand Kiwis)
• Dean Whare, rugby league player (Penrith Panthers and New Zealand Kiwis)

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{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Rotorua}}

• {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Rotorua}}
• [https://www.youtube.com/user/DestinationRotorua Official Rotorua YouTube channel]
• {{Official website|http://www.rdc.govt.nz/|Rotorua District Council official website}}
• {{Official website|http://rotoruaNZ.com/|Rotorua Tourism official website}}
• {{Wikivoyage inline}}

{{Rotorua District}}

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Category:Populated places in the Bay of Plenty Region

Category:Populated places on Lake Rotorua

Category:Spa towns in New Zealand