What it is
The lake formed about 20,000 years ago, after the Waikato River shifted its course; two shallow lakes later merged into one as peat built up around them, which gives the water its brown tint. Rotoroa means "long lake" in Māori. It averages only 2.4 metres in depth.
The surrounding domain has lawns, picnic areas, a café and playgrounds. Steam locomotive F230 is preserved under a shelter near the café, Lake House, a homestead from the 1870s, overlooks the water, and an ivy-covered memorial arch from 1929 stands on Ruakiwi Road. Innes Common, a former wetland on the western side, was bought to protect the lake.
Getting there by bus
The closest stops are on Pembroke Street on the eastern side of the domain, about 370 to 400 metres from the lake shore, around a five-minute walk. Stops 7854, 7561, 4368 and 8694 are served by routes 24, 26 and the Comet (C).
A little further south, the stops at 75 and 82 Pembroke St (stops 6459 and 2359) add route 12 and the Orbiter (O), and route 12 and the Orbiter also stop on Palmerston Street, about 630 metres away.
