A city on New Zealand's North Island, famous for its geothermal activity, Māori culture, and distinctive sulfur smell from hot springs and geysers. It's a major tourist destination and cultural center.
From Māori 'Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe,' meaning 'the great lake of Kahumatamomoe' (referring to a Māori chief). 'Roto' means 'lake' and 'rua' means 'two' or 'second,' possibly referring to it being the second lake encountered by early Māori explorers.
Rotorua sits on one of the world's most active geothermal fields, where the earth's crust is so thin that underground heat creates an otherworldly landscape of bubbling mud pools and steaming lakes. The city's sulfur smell, lovingly nicknamed 'Rotovegas' by locals, comes from hydrogen sulfide gas naturally escaping from the ground.
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