Rotorua Geothermal lake & geyser, Rotorua © Destination Rotorua
How Fire Demons Made Rotorua
TRADITIONALLY, MĀORI BELIEVE THAT ROTORUA OWES ITS THERMAL ATTRACTIONS TO AN EARLY SPIRITUAL LEADER FROM TE ARAWA TRIBE, NGĀTOROIRANGI.
I
n Māori mythology, when the great waka Te Arawa arrived in Rotorua, Ngātoroirangi had to stand on the summit of what is now Mt Tongariro in order to claim the surrounding land for his tribe.
As he reached the top of the mountain, he almost died from the icy wind and the cold. To save himself from the elements, he sent a prayer to his sisters in Hawaiki (where, according to Māori folklore,
Māori people originated from). They responded, sending fire demons to his aid. These demons cut across the ocean, surfacing at White Island, Rotorua and Taupō before reaching Ngātoroirangi and
freeing him from the lethal cold, leaving a geothermal trail where they had travelled and giving these places the thermal activity that can still be seen today.
THRILL OF THE RIDE
NEGOTIATE THE HIGHEST COMMERCIALLY RAFT-ABLE WATERFALL IN THE WORLD: THE SEVEN-METRE TUTEA FALLS ON THE KAITUNA RIVER.
White-water rafting © Destination Rotorua
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