[6] Then, efforts by Māori and Europeans alike to establish Rotorua as a spa town led to a 99-year lease of land from Ngāti Whakaue to the Government.

The city first became a major site of tourism due to the Rotorua's close proximity to the Pink and White Terraces, until they were destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886.

It is the largest of a multitude of lakes found to the northeast, all connected with the Rotorua Caldera and nearby Mount Tarawera.

[9] Another common nickname is "Roto-Vegas", likening the city's own strip of road flanked by businesses and restaurants to that of Las Vegas.

[10] 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.

[12] 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.

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.

[13]: 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[14][15][16] Te Arawa fell back after the loss of 170 men and were defeated by Ngāpuhi,[17] and utu was satisfied.

William Fox advocated for turning the Rotorua region into a national park, inspired by the Yellowstone in the United States.

[20] 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.

[20] 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.

[20] 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 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.

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%.

[39] 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%).

[52] The Rotorua Pistol club is among the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and hosted the 2013 Australasian IPSC Handgun Championship.

[53] The Kaituna River, 15 minutes drive northeast of the CBD, provides class 5 whitewater kayaking and rafting through a spectacular tree lined gorge.

Wingspan undertakes conservation, education and research activities related to birds of prey found in New Zealand, and provides demonstrations of falconry.

Rotorua has a local bus service,[57] with 11 routes under the Baybus brand, serving the urban area, mostly at half-hourly intervals,[58] operated by Reesby Buses.

[78] In 1926, a consortium of local operators formed Rotorua Bus Co.[79] During 1922, Kusab's transport company became K Motors,[75] which was taken over by the railways in 1938.

[69] Rotorua Regional Airport is located 9 km (6 mi) 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.

[citation needed] Scenic and chartered flights in both helicopters and float planes are operated by Volcanic Air, who are based on Rotorua's lake front.

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.