| Lake Rotoiti | |
|---|---|
| Location | Rotorua District, Bay of Plenty Region, North Island |
| Lake type | crater lake |
| Primary outflows | Kaituna River |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Max. length | 15 kilometres (9.3 mi)[1] |
| Max. width | 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi)[1] |
| Surface area | 34.3 square kilometres (13.2 sq mi)<[1] |
| Average depth | 33 metres (108 ft)<[1] |
| Max. depth | 93.5 metres (307 ft)[1] |
| Surface elevation | 279 metres (915 ft)[1] |
| References | [1] |
Lake Rotoiti is a lake in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand.[2] 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 name "Rotoiti" means "The little lake" in Māori. The naming of the lake is credited to the Māori explorer Ihenga, who is also said to have discovered Lake Rotorua. Legend says that the lake was named as such because when Ihenga first saw it, he was only able to see a small part of it and so thought the lake was a lot smaller.
In recent years, the quality of lake water has been severely affected by high nitrogen levels due to agricultural run-off from surrounding farms, seepage from domestic septic tanks and inflows of nitrogen rich water from Lake Rotorua. Effects have included an almost permanent algal bloom in the Okere arm of the lake and choking lake weed growth in other still areas of the lake. Some hold fears that if the problem is not dealt with quickly, low levels of light (due to cloudy water) and oxygen deficiency in the lake may lead to its eventual eutrophication (sometimes called biological death). A barrier to divert the nutrient rich waters of Lake Rotorua into the Kaituna River was completed in late 2008.[3] The regional council Environment Bay of Plenty expects to see improvement in lake water quality within five years.[4]