Lake Rotoma
Encyclopedia
Lake Rotoma is the fourth largest lake of the 11 lakes in the Rotorua Lakes district, or the Hot Lakes district as it was known in the early decades of the 20th century. The Rotorua lakes are located in New Zealand
's North Island
in the Bay of Plenty Region. Lake Rotoma is the easternmost in the chain of three lake
s to the northeast of Lake Rotorua
The other two are Lake Rotoiti
and Lake Rotoehu
. Rotoma is located half-way between the city of Rotorua
and town of Whakatane
.
Lake Rotoma has a high water quality with visibility up to around 13 metres deep. The lake has a maximum depth of 83 metres in the northern part and 73.5 metres in the southern part.
from Haroharo and Tarawera
, and this has meant that Lake Rotoma has no surface outlets. However, the presence of springs has suggested an underground discharge of lake waters.
The water level of Rotoma reaches an excessive high or low level every 10–15 years. In times of extreme low levels, the sunken island "Motutara" in the lake may be exposed.
trails over the Rotoma hill which could be used to get between Rotorua and the Eastern Bay of Plenty
by foot, but these trails were too narrow and uneven to be used by horses. Travellers from Rotorua could only get as far as Tikitere
on the rough track.
In May 1895 work commenced on the Tikitere to Rotoma road. By July, there were three road gangs working on different sections of the road, and work began over the difficult section over the Rotoma hill in the summer of 1895-1896. A proper road was also constructed from Te Ngae in Rotorua through to Tikitere.
Once the road was completed, horse-drawn traffic commenced and public coaching services began. The first such service was started in 1907 by the R.M. Company, who ran a service twice a week from Rotorua to Opotiki
carrying mail and up to three passengers. In 1910 the R.M. Company upgraded to a large coach drawn by five horses which could hold 10 passengers.
In 1916 Colletts of Rotorua started the first regular motor car service, using Cadillac
service cars. The average travel time from Rotorua to Whakatane was 5 hours, but like the horse-drawn coaches, the service cars could take up to 9 hours to travel this distance depending on the driving conditions. The road surface gradually improved, decreasing the travel time to 3 hours by the late 1920s. Today, this journey takes just one hour and 20 minutes.
In 1947, 60 men were employed on the construction of the Rotorua to Whakatane highway, as increases in traffic had caused problems on the road which was barely 12 feet wide.
In the winter of 1956 the lake level of Rotoma rose very high, causing the road to be shifted to higher ground. More serious flooding occurred in 1962, and the famous "cheese cutting" landmark was destroyed and used to build up the road. The cheese cutting was a large wedge shaped rock formed during road construction in 1895-1896 when the road gangs cut the road through a hill with picks and shovel
s and left a portion of the hill standing.
In 1912 it could take up to 9 hours to cover the distance between Rotorua and Whakatane, and changing stations for the horses had been set up every 14 miles from Rotorua. The changing station at the west end of Rotoma became a popular rest stop. John Baker ran a post office and tearooms here, and built up a reputation for his corned beef
. Mr. Baker offered the traveller a choice of corned beef with potatoes and cabbage
or corned beef sandwiches.
The Pilbrow family arrived in Rotoma in 1948 after purchasing the Rotoma Tearooms and Post Office. They expanded the business to include a general store, and renamed it The Kettle Store and Tearooms. They then built a garage for motor repairs, and the business became The Kettle Store and Garage. Petrol pumps were later installed by the Pilbrow family to create T & K Filling Station. There was an extremely high level of rainfall in 1961 which caused serious flooding problems, and the business was badly affected. The floodwater raised the petrol tanks out of the ground and the road had to be built up to act as a stop-bank. A pump was in action 24 hours a day for weeks to prevent the water from completely flooding the premises.
The Pilbrow family also created Oxford Road.
The original homestead which became known as Atkinson's Fishing Lodge was built early in the 1900s by Mr and Mrs C. Atkinson who farmed near the lake and had an orchard
on the opposite side of the road. The homestead was turned into a lodge which became very popular with fishermen. The lodge was renamed Merge Lodge by Geoff and Roy Warwick, formerly of Kawerau, who took over ownership in 1960. The lodge had six bedrooms, a billiard room, two kitchens, two lounges, and a store out the front. There is now a caravan park at the site of Merge Lodge.
there in May 1925. The real story was lost over time, with the majority of Rotoma local
residents holding the belief that it had been a young honeymoon
couple who committed suicide there together. However, in actuality it was a 38 year old man and a 14 year old girl; understood to have been romantically attached. The man, Carl Olsen, had told the girl's father of his love for her. In an attempt to separate the pair, the disapproving parents sent the girl, Molly Moors, to live with an aunt in Hastings
. Without her aunts knowledge, Olsen picked Molly up in his car and it was assumed they were on their way to Hamilton
when they met death at the shores of Rotoma. The event was well covered by newspapers of the time and was referred to as the "Rotoma Tragedy". Olsen and Moors are buried next to each other in the Rotorua Cemetery, and their graves were probably originally marked with wooden crosses. The original crosses disintegrated over time leaving the two graves unmarked for many years before being remarked with new matching wooden crosses in May 2011.
s in the southern portion of Lake Rotoma mark the location of Motutara, the sunken island, which sits just under the lakes surface. Occasionally the lake level drops low enough to expose the top of the island.
There was once a Māori
village on the island, and according to the legend
, an old Tohunga
resided there amongst the other inhabitants. His name was Te Rarau-mai-Waho, and he was very powerful and dangerous. The cloud the old Tohunga cast over the island was lifted only on the occasions where he went to visit some of his relations in Kawerau and around Putauaki, Mount Edgecumbe. One night he returned from such a visit and called out to the people of the island from the lake's edge by Matahi lagoon, ordering them to send him a canoe. Nobody responded to his demands, and in his anger the Tohunga put a curse
on the island and its inhabitants. The people of the island heard the angry Tohunga's terrible screams, but did not realize the horrible retribution he would take. The curse caused the island to slowly sink, and by morning it was completely underwater; the only signs of the village being bodies and pieces of wreckage floating on the surface of the lake. Some people had escaped by swimming to the shore of the lake, and these people eventually settled in the South Island
. The Waikato Underwater Club has examined Motutara. Two platforms or terraces were found, and some hāngi
stones were found at the peak. It has been suggested that if the Pā
had been palisade
d it may have still been there today.
. However, fortified pā
sites, food pits, cultivation areas and burial sites have been discovered around Rotomas shorelines and the surrounding hills . The tribe Ngāti Tūwharetoa
may not have lived permanently at Rotoma but at least took out a temporary camping existence there in order to take advantage of the hunting and fishing opportunities on offer. Later, Ngati Tuahuriri, a sub-tribe of Ngati Pikiao took up residence at Rotoma. The Rotoiti
natives credit the native and European wars as the cause of the dispersion of this Maori population, and they had left Lake Rotoma by the time the road construction began in 1895.
A census for the years 1874 to 1891 shows nil for Rotoma. In 1896 a census shows a population of 33, understood to be the occupants of the camp set up for the road workers and their families at the east end of Oneroa beach by the lagoon
.
in Canterbury
. They had purchased the Rotoma Tearooms and Post Office, which was situated on 25 acre
s of land.
In a district of predominantly leasehold
land, the Pilbrows realized the value of their 25 acres of freehold land and decided to subdivide it in 1950. Sixty-three sections were surveyed, the majority each a quarter acre, and four of these were taken by the Rotorua County Council for a reserve. Seventeen sections were along the main road, but a new road was required to access the sections to the rear. The Pilbrows named the new road "Oxford Road" as a reminder of their hometown.
A new school was built and opened in its present location on Soda Springs Road on May 25, 1936 with 29 students. The roll fluctuated due to numerous residents living at Rotoma on a temporary basis, but was The mills in the area, Tunnicliffe's Mill and Rendall's Mill, helped establish a more stable population at Rotoma and caused further overcrowding at the school. In 1973 the roll reached 55 and there were appalling working conditions for staff and children. On August 14, 1973 the majority of parents kept their children at home as a protest against the lack of action to improve standards. There was widespread media coverage and in October the Minister of Education ordered that a new school be built, and it was opened on 16 November 1974.
From 1948, Mr Tam Pilbrow operated the first bus service to the school, using a Hillman
car. In 1952 the service was taken over by George Graham, and Mr. Pilbrow's son Ken, who operated a Bradford
van from the Kettle Store. Mr Gavin Wyllie bought the Kettle Store and Garage, and in 1958 he commenced transporting children to the school in his V.W combie van, but when Rendall's Mill closed at the end of that same year, there were not enough children for him to continue the service.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
in the Bay of Plenty Region. Lake Rotoma is the easternmost in the chain of three lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s to the northeast of Lake Rotorua
Lake Rotorua
Lake Rotorua is the second largest lake in the North Island of New Zealand by surface area, and covers 79.8km2. With a mean depth of only 10 metres it is considerably smaller than nearby Lake Tarawera in terms of volume of water. It is located in the Bay of Plenty region...
The other two are Lake Rotoiti
Lake Rotoiti, Bay of Plenty
Lake Rotoiti is a lake in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. It is the northwesternmost in a chain of lakes formed within the Okataina caldera. The lake is close to the northern shore of its more famous neighbour, Lake Rotorua, and is connected to it via the Ohau Channel. It drains to the...
and Lake Rotoehu
Lake Rotoehu
Lake Rotoehu is the smallest in a chain of three lakes to the northeast of Lake Rotorua in New Zealand's North Island. It is located between the city of Rotorua and town of Whakatane. The southern end of the lake occupies part of the Okataina caldera...
. Rotoma is located half-way between the city of Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
and town of Whakatane
Whakatane
Whakatane is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region, in the North Island of New Zealand, and is the seat of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Whakatane is 90 km east of Tauranga and 89 km north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatane River.The town has a population of , with...
.
Lake Rotoma has a high water quality with visibility up to around 13 metres deep. The lake has a maximum depth of 83 metres in the northern part and 73.5 metres in the southern part.
Geography
Lake Rotoma was formed within the Rotoma caldera when lava flows from a large crater explosion blocked its outlet 9,500 years ago. The hills fringing the south and east of the lake are made up of RhyoliteRhyolite
This page is about a volcanic rock. For the ghost town see Rhyolite, Nevada, and for the satellite system, see Rhyolite/Aquacade.Rhyolite is an igneous, volcanic rock, of felsic composition . It may have any texture from glassy to aphanitic to porphyritic...
from Haroharo and Tarawera
Tarawera
Tarawera may refer to:* Mount Tarawera* Lake Tarawera* Tarawera * Tarawera River* Tarawera Falls...
, and this has meant that Lake Rotoma has no surface outlets. However, the presence of springs has suggested an underground discharge of lake waters.
The water level of Rotoma reaches an excessive high or low level every 10–15 years. In times of extreme low levels, the sunken island "Motutara" in the lake may be exposed.
Road
Before the road around Lake Rotoma was constructed, there were several MāoriMāori
The Māori are the native or indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand . They arrived in New Zealand from eastern Polynesia in several waves at some time before 1300 CE. Over several centuries in isolation, the Māori developed a unique culture with their own language, a rich mythology,...
trails over the Rotoma hill which could be used to get between Rotorua and the Eastern Bay of Plenty
Eastern Bay of Plenty
Eastern Bay of Plenty is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, which existed only from 1993 to 1996, and was held by Tony Ryall.-Population centres:...
by foot, but these trails were too narrow and uneven to be used by horses. Travellers from Rotorua could only get as far as Tikitere
Tikitere
Tikitere, also known as "Hell's Gate", is Rotorua's most active geothermal area on State Highway 30, between Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand...
on the rough track.
In May 1895 work commenced on the Tikitere to Rotoma road. By July, there were three road gangs working on different sections of the road, and work began over the difficult section over the Rotoma hill in the summer of 1895-1896. A proper road was also constructed from Te Ngae in Rotorua through to Tikitere.
Once the road was completed, horse-drawn traffic commenced and public coaching services began. The first such service was started in 1907 by the R.M. Company, who ran a service twice a week from Rotorua to Opotiki
Opotiki
Opotiki is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New Zealand. It houses the headquarters of the Opotiki District Council and comes under the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.-Population:* of the town: 4176 - Male 1,989, Female 2,187...
carrying mail and up to three passengers. In 1910 the R.M. Company upgraded to a large coach drawn by five horses which could hold 10 passengers.
In 1916 Colletts of Rotorua started the first regular motor car service, using Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
service cars. The average travel time from Rotorua to Whakatane was 5 hours, but like the horse-drawn coaches, the service cars could take up to 9 hours to travel this distance depending on the driving conditions. The road surface gradually improved, decreasing the travel time to 3 hours by the late 1920s. Today, this journey takes just one hour and 20 minutes.
In 1947, 60 men were employed on the construction of the Rotorua to Whakatane highway, as increases in traffic had caused problems on the road which was barely 12 feet wide.
In the winter of 1956 the lake level of Rotoma rose very high, causing the road to be shifted to higher ground. More serious flooding occurred in 1962, and the famous "cheese cutting" landmark was destroyed and used to build up the road. The cheese cutting was a large wedge shaped rock formed during road construction in 1895-1896 when the road gangs cut the road through a hill with picks and shovel
Shovel
A shovel is a tool for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Shovels are extremely common tools that are used extensively in agriculture, construction, and gardening....
s and left a portion of the hill standing.
Establishments
Various establishments have come and gone at Rotoma, and most were set up to service the passing traveler's desire for rest stops, refreshments and accommodation.Past establishments
- "Rotoma Tearooms and Post Office", later renamed "The Kettle Store and Tearooms", then "The Kettle Store and Garage".
- "T & K Service StationFilling stationA filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
" - "Stillwater LodgeLodge- Organizations :* Masonic Lodge, the basic organization of Freemasonry* Orange Lodge, the basic organisation of the Orange Institution* Odd Fellows Lodge, the basic organisation of the Order of Odd Fellows* A local union in some trade unions...
& MotelMotelA motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
" - "Rotoma Accommodation House"
- "El Toreador Dine and Dance"
- "Atkinson's Fishing Lodge", later renamed "Merge Lodge"
- "Rotoma Traders"
In 1912 it could take up to 9 hours to cover the distance between Rotorua and Whakatane, and changing stations for the horses had been set up every 14 miles from Rotorua. The changing station at the west end of Rotoma became a popular rest stop. John Baker ran a post office and tearooms here, and built up a reputation for his corned beef
Corned beef
Corned beef is a type of salt-cured beef products present in many beef-eating cultures. The English term is used interchangeably in modernity to refer to three distinct types of cured beef:...
. Mr. Baker offered the traveller a choice of corned beef with potatoes and cabbage
Cabbage
Cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...
or corned beef sandwiches.
The Pilbrow family arrived in Rotoma in 1948 after purchasing the Rotoma Tearooms and Post Office. They expanded the business to include a general store, and renamed it The Kettle Store and Tearooms. They then built a garage for motor repairs, and the business became The Kettle Store and Garage. Petrol pumps were later installed by the Pilbrow family to create T & K Filling Station. There was an extremely high level of rainfall in 1961 which caused serious flooding problems, and the business was badly affected. The floodwater raised the petrol tanks out of the ground and the road had to be built up to act as a stop-bank. A pump was in action 24 hours a day for weeks to prevent the water from completely flooding the premises.
The Pilbrow family also created Oxford Road.
The original homestead which became known as Atkinson's Fishing Lodge was built early in the 1900s by Mr and Mrs C. Atkinson who farmed near the lake and had an orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
on the opposite side of the road. The homestead was turned into a lodge which became very popular with fishermen. The lodge was renamed Merge Lodge by Geoff and Roy Warwick, formerly of Kawerau, who took over ownership in 1960. The lodge had six bedrooms, a billiard room, two kitchens, two lounges, and a store out the front. There is now a caravan park at the site of Merge Lodge.
Current establishments
- "Rotoma Auto Repair" at the former site of the Kettle Tearooms
- "Art Gecko", art gallery and picture framing business at the former site of the Kettle Tearooms
- Lakeside caravan sites at the location of Merge Lodge
- "Rotoma Trading Post", petrol station and general store located in front of the former site of Merge Lodge
- "Rotoma Roadhouse Cafe and Takeaways" in front of the former site of Merge Lodge
- "Rotoma and Rotoehu Community Hall"
- "Rotoma Holiday Park"
- Lake Rotoma School
- Rotoma Christian Fellowship
"Suicide Beach"
The bay at the foot of the Rotoma hill where Manawahe Road commences had the nickname "Suicide Beach" in the past due to the occurrence of a murder-suicideMurder-suicide
A murder–suicide is an act in which an individual kills one or more other persons before or at the same time as killing himself or herself. The combination of murder and suicide can take various forms, including:...
there in May 1925. The real story was lost over time, with the majority of Rotoma local
Local
Local usually refers to something nearby, or in the immediate area.It may be used in many ways, some of which are related to this general meaning, others which are not:* Local, local anesthesia* Local, a.k.a. union local or local union* Local, a.k.a...
residents holding the belief that it had been a young honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
couple who committed suicide there together. However, in actuality it was a 38 year old man and a 14 year old girl; understood to have been romantically attached. The man, Carl Olsen, had told the girl's father of his love for her. In an attempt to separate the pair, the disapproving parents sent the girl, Molly Moors, to live with an aunt in Hastings
Hastings, New Zealand
The city of Hastings is a major urban settlement in the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island of New Zealand, and it is the largest settlement by population in Hawke's Bay. Hastings city is the administrative centre of the Hastings District...
. Without her aunts knowledge, Olsen picked Molly up in his car and it was assumed they were on their way to Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
when they met death at the shores of Rotoma. The event was well covered by newspapers of the time and was referred to as the "Rotoma Tragedy". Olsen and Moors are buried next to each other in the Rotorua Cemetery, and their graves were probably originally marked with wooden crosses. The original crosses disintegrated over time leaving the two graves unmarked for many years before being remarked with new matching wooden crosses in May 2011.
Sunken island
Four buoyBuoy
A buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...
s in the southern portion of Lake Rotoma mark the location of Motutara, the sunken island, which sits just under the lakes surface. Occasionally the lake level drops low enough to expose the top of the island.
There was once a Māori
Māori
The Māori are the native or indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand . They arrived in New Zealand from eastern Polynesia in several waves at some time before 1300 CE. Over several centuries in isolation, the Māori developed a unique culture with their own language, a rich mythology,...
village on the island, and according to the legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
, an old Tohunga
Tohunga
In the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, religious or otherwise. Tohunga may include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, builders, teachers and advisors. The equivalent term in Hawaiian culture is kahuna...
resided there amongst the other inhabitants. His name was Te Rarau-mai-Waho, and he was very powerful and dangerous. The cloud the old Tohunga cast over the island was lifted only on the occasions where he went to visit some of his relations in Kawerau and around Putauaki, Mount Edgecumbe. One night he returned from such a visit and called out to the people of the island from the lake's edge by Matahi lagoon, ordering them to send him a canoe. Nobody responded to his demands, and in his anger the Tohunga put a curse
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
on the island and its inhabitants. The people of the island heard the angry Tohunga's terrible screams, but did not realize the horrible retribution he would take. The curse caused the island to slowly sink, and by morning it was completely underwater; the only signs of the village being bodies and pieces of wreckage floating on the surface of the lake. Some people had escaped by swimming to the shore of the lake, and these people eventually settled in the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. The Waikato Underwater Club has examined Motutara. Two platforms or terraces were found, and some hāngi
Hangi
Hāngi is a traditional New Zealand Māori method of cooking food using heated rocks buried in a pit oven still used for special occasions.To "lay a hāngi" or "put down a hāngi" involves digging a pit in the ground, heating stones in the pit with a large fire, placing baskets of food on top of the...
stones were found at the peak. It has been suggested that if the Pā
Pa (Maori)
The word pā can refer to any Māori village or settlement, but in traditional use it referred to hillforts fortified with palisades and defensive terraces and also to fortified villages. They first came into being about 1450. They are located mainly in the North Island north of lake Taupo...
had been palisade
Palisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
d it may have still been there today.
Settlement
The 2006 census revealed that 1,863 people usually live in the wider Rotoma area; 0.7 percent of Bay of Plenty Region's population. However, the lakeside portion of the Rotoma area has a much smaller permanent population, as many of the dwellings are used only as holiday homes. The most common ethnic group in the wider Rotoma area is Māori, at 49.9 % of the population. This compares to a 27.5% Maori population for the Bay of Plenty Region as a whole.Early settlement
The early road construction crews commented on the lack of Maori settlement in Rotoma and in the neighboring Lake RotoehuLake Rotoehu
Lake Rotoehu is the smallest in a chain of three lakes to the northeast of Lake Rotorua in New Zealand's North Island. It is located between the city of Rotorua and town of Whakatane. The southern end of the lake occupies part of the Okataina caldera...
. However, fortified pā
Pa
-Places:* Pâ, a town in Burkina Faso* Pâ Department, a department in Burkina Faso* PA postcode area, in Scotland* Province of Palermo, Italy* Palo Alto, California* Panama, ISO country code** .pa, the country code top level domain for Panama...
sites, food pits, cultivation areas and burial sites have been discovered around Rotomas shorelines and the surrounding hills . The tribe Ngāti Tūwharetoa
Ngati Tuwharetoa
Ngāti Tūwharetoa is an iwi descended from Ngātoro-i-rangi, the priest who navigated the Arawa canoe to New Zealand. The Tūwharetoa region extends from Te Awa o te Atua at Matata across the central plateau of the North Island to the lands around Mount Tongariro and Lake Taupo.The iwi is identified...
may not have lived permanently at Rotoma but at least took out a temporary camping existence there in order to take advantage of the hunting and fishing opportunities on offer. Later, Ngati Tuahuriri, a sub-tribe of Ngati Pikiao took up residence at Rotoma. The Rotoiti
Rotoiti
Rotoiti is:*Lake Rotoiti, Bay of Plenty, a lake in the Bay of Plenty area of New Zealand*Lake Rotoiti, Tasman, a lake in the Tasman area of New Zealand**'Rotoiti', the former name of Saint Arnaud, New Zealand, a village on the shores of the lake...
natives credit the native and European wars as the cause of the dispersion of this Maori population, and they had left Lake Rotoma by the time the road construction began in 1895.
A census for the years 1874 to 1891 shows nil for Rotoma. In 1896 a census shows a population of 33, understood to be the occupants of the camp set up for the road workers and their families at the east end of Oneroa beach by the lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
.
Oxford Road
In 1948, Mr and Mrs T.H. Pilbrow and their children arrived at Lake Rotoma from OxfordOxford, New Zealand
Oxford is a small town of 1,716 people serving the farming community of North Canterbury, New Zealand. It is part of the Waimakariri District. Oxford is a linear town, approximately two kilometres long. For a time Oxford was serviced by the Oxford Branch railway, and had two stations, East Oxford...
in Canterbury
Canterbury, New Zealand
The New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council - called Environment Canterbury - and the University of Canterbury.-...
. They had purchased the Rotoma Tearooms and Post Office, which was situated on 25 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s of land.
In a district of predominantly leasehold
Leasehold estate
A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to land or property in which a lessee or a tenant holds rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord....
land, the Pilbrows realized the value of their 25 acres of freehold land and decided to subdivide it in 1950. Sixty-three sections were surveyed, the majority each a quarter acre, and four of these were taken by the Rotorua County Council for a reserve. Seventeen sections were along the main road, but a new road was required to access the sections to the rear. The Pilbrows named the new road "Oxford Road" as a reminder of their hometown.
Lake Rotoma School
The first school was opened on the 2nd of February 1928 in the old tearooms building with Mr. E.G. Sutherland teaching the 8 students. Mr Sutherland stated that it was "probably the worst building in New Zealand. However, when the weather was too bad we just declared a holiday - and nobody seemed to worry"A new school was built and opened in its present location on Soda Springs Road on May 25, 1936 with 29 students. The roll fluctuated due to numerous residents living at Rotoma on a temporary basis, but was The mills in the area, Tunnicliffe's Mill and Rendall's Mill, helped establish a more stable population at Rotoma and caused further overcrowding at the school. In 1973 the roll reached 55 and there were appalling working conditions for staff and children. On August 14, 1973 the majority of parents kept their children at home as a protest against the lack of action to improve standards. There was widespread media coverage and in October the Minister of Education ordered that a new school be built, and it was opened on 16 November 1974.
From 1948, Mr Tam Pilbrow operated the first bus service to the school, using a Hillman
Hillman
Hillman is a British automobile marque created by the Hillman Motor Car Company, founded in 1907. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England. Before 1907 the company had built bicycles...
car. In 1952 the service was taken over by George Graham, and Mr. Pilbrow's son Ken, who operated a Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
van from the Kettle Store. Mr Gavin Wyllie bought the Kettle Store and Garage, and in 1958 he commenced transporting children to the school in his V.W combie van, but when Rendall's Mill closed at the end of that same year, there were not enough children for him to continue the service.