ROTORUA, a town of Rotorua county, North Island, New Zealand. It lies in the midst of a remarkable volcanic district generally known as the Hot Spring district, which covers an area of 66o sq.m. and extends 160 m. from north-east to south-west from White Island, an active volcanic cone in the Bay of Plenty to the mountains of Tongariro, Ngaruhoe and Ruapehu in the in terior of the island, S.W. of lake Taupo. Rotorua attracts many visitors on account of the beauty and scientific interest of the locality and the bathing in its various medicinal springs. It is a scattered township lying on the south-western shore of lake Rotorua, amid hills reaching 2,600 ft. in the immediate neigh bourhood, with a rich growth of forest.
The springs are principally alkaline, alkaline and siliceous, acidic, or acidic and hepatic (sulphurous). The township includes the Maori village of Ohinemutu, an interesting collection of native dwellings. In the vicinity, on the lake-shore, is the government sanatorium. One mile south of the Rotorua is another native vil lage, Whakarewarewa, where there are geysers as well as hot springs. Four miles from Rotorua, near the centre of the lake, the island of Mokoia rises to 1,518 ft. A short channel connects lake Rotorua with lake Rotoiti to the N.E. Both this lake and the smaller ones to the east, Rotoehu and Rotoma, have deeply in dented shores, and are set in exquisite scenery. The waters of Rotoma are of a particularly vivid blue. To the south of Rotoiti is Tikitere, a sombre valley abounding in mud volcanoes, springs and other active volcanic phenomena. Mount Tarawera (16 m. S.E. of Rotorua) is noted for the eruption of June 1886, which changed the outline of several lakes, destroyed the famous Pink and White terraces on the adjoining lake Rotomahana.
the Spanish of Lope de Vega and by 1634 he is said to have pro duced 34 pieces. The importance of Rotrou in French dramatic literature lies in the fact that he sought to naturalize the ro mantic English and Spanish comedy in France, where the trage dies of Seneca and the comedies of Terence were still the only accepted models. Diane (acted 1630; pr. 1633), Les Occasions perdues (acted 1631; pr. 1635), praised by Richelieu; and L'Heureuse Constance (acted 1631; pr. 1635) ; praised by Anne of Austria, were all in the Spanish manner, but in Les Afenechines (pr. 1636), and in Hercule Mourant (pr. 1636) he followed the Latin authors Plautus and Seneca. In 1639 Rotrou bought the post of lieutenant particulier au bailliage at Dreux, where he mar ried and settled. His four masterpieces were written after that date; they are: Le Veritable Saint Genest (acted 1646; pr. a story of Christian martyrdom containing some amusing by-play, one noble speech and a good deal of dignified action; Don Ber trand de Cabrere a tragicomedy; Venceslas (1647; pr. 1648) ; Cosroes a play with an oriental setting, claimed as the only absolutely original piece of Rotrou. He died of the plague and was buried at Dreux on June 28, 1650.