Rotorua - Tourism

38°07S 176°17E, pop (2000e) 58 000. Health resort in North Island, New Zealand; in a region of thermal springs, geysers, and boiling mud; Whakarewarewa (Maori village); Maori arts and crafts centre.

Rotorua
Urban Area	Population	55,100
	Extent	Ngongotaha to Owhata
Territorial Authority	Name	Rotorua District
	Population	67,600
	Extent	On the North Island Rotoma; Tokorau to Golden Springs
Regional Councils	Name	Bay of Plenty and Waikato

Rotorua is a district located on the southern shore of Lake Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand.

Rotorua is connected to the north by State Highway 5, to the east by State Highway 33, to the west by State Highway 30, and to the south by State Highway 5.

Rotorua is well-known for the geothermal activity in the area. The lake is the largest of a multitude found to the north and east of the city, all connected with the Rotorua Caldera and nearby Mount Tarawera. 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.

Tourism

Rotorua is home to not only geothermal interests, but botanical gardens and some interesting historic architecture.

Thermal activity is at the heart of much of Rotorua's tourist appeal.

Another of Rotorua's attractions is the mountain biking, Whakarewarewa (also known as the "Redwoods") forest has been described as 'the disneyland of mountain biking' and has some of the best mountain bike trails in New Zealand.

Rotorua was prominently featured in a music video by The Beastie Boys for their song Gratitude. Rotorua is also near many lakes, the number and quantity of which dwarf even the Lakes district in England.

Rotorua is known (ironically) amongst the locals as "Rotovegas" due the abundance of hotels and motels on Fenton Street which resembles "The Strip" of Las Vegas , but to non-locals as "Rottenrua" due to the rotting egg-like odour of the Hydrogen Sulphide gas produce by the prolific geothermal activity.

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'.