Mokoia under stormy skies, seen from the south

Mokoia Island is located in Lake Rotorua in New Zealand. It has an area of 1.35 square kilometres. The island is a rhyolite lava dome, rising to 180 metres above the lake surface. Download high resolution version (567x831, 82 KB)Storm clouds gathering over Mokoia Island in Lake Rotorua, New Zealand. ... Download high resolution version (567x831, 82 KB)Storm clouds gathering over Mokoia Island in Lake Rotorua, New Zealand. ... Lake Rotorua Mokoia under stormy skies, seen from the south Lake Rotorua is the second largest lake in the North Island of New Zealand, and covers 80 km2. ... Rhyolite Rhyolite is an igneous, volcanic (extrusive) rock, of felsic composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. ... Jump to: navigation, search Look up Lava, ‘A‘a, or Pāhoehoe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Lava is molten rock that a volcano expels during an eruption. ...

The island is sacred to Maori of the Arawa iwi, and is the location of one of the most famous legends of New Zealand, that of Hinemoa and Tutanekai, which has parallels with the classical Greek tale of Hero and Leander, but with a happier ending. Te Puni, Māori Chief Māori is the name of the indigenous people of New Zealand, and their language. ... Iwi (pronounced ee-wee) are the largest everyday social units in Māori society. ... Hero and Leander is a Greek myth. ...

According to legend, the two lovers were forbidden to marry, and Hinemoa's father Umukaria, a chief from the shores of the lake, ordered that she not be allowed to travel by canoe to Tutanekai's tribal village on the island. Hinemoa decided to swim the lake to the island, guided by the sound of Tutanekai's flute-playing. For floation she wrapped hue or gourds around her and swam her way to the island.

The foreshores of the island also have geothermal springs with hot spring water forming the Hinemoa pool known to locals as Waikimihia.