Lake Rotoroa lies within the borders of Nelson Lakes National Park

Nelson Lakes National Park

Nelson Lakes National Park is located in the South Island of New Zealand.It was formed in 1956 and covers some 1,020 km². It is centered at two large lakes, Rotoiti and Rotoroa. The park also includes surrounding valleys and mountain ranges...

 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...

, New Zealand

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...

. The 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,...

 is fed by the D'Urville

D'Urville River

The D'Urville River is in the South Island of New Zealand.It lies within the Nelson Lakes National Park and flows north for 26 kilometres between the Ella and Mahanga ranges into Lake Rotoroa. It is one of the smaller rivers in the Buller River system...

 and Sabine

Sabine River, New Zealand

thumb|right|200px|View up the Sabine Valley.The Sabine River is in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located in Nelson Lakes National Park....

 rivers.

The greatest depth is 145 metres and the lake is completely surrounded by beech

Beech

Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...

 forest. Rotoroa is a small community at the base of the lake. The Gowan River

Gowan River

The Gowan River is in the South Island of New Zealand. Its source is at Lake Rotoroa and travels 11 kilometres before feeding into the Buller River. Mixed farming and forestry occurs on both banks of the river...

 flows out of the lake at this point, thus making the lake one of the sources of the Buller River

Buller River

The Buller River is in the South Island of New Zealand. One of the country's longest rivers, it flows for 170 kilometres from Lake Rotoiti through the Buller Gorge and into the Tasman Sea near the town of Westport...

 system.

A track follows the northeast side of the lake and a water taxi travels the length of the lake to ferry trampers

Tramping in New Zealand

Tramping, known elsewhere as hiking or bushwalking, is a popular activity in New Zealand.Tramping is defined as a recreational activity involving walking over rough country carrying all the required food and equipment...

 to and from the tracks at the head of the lake.

The lake has introduced trout

Trout

Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...

, which attract recreational fishermen. There is a fly-fishing lodge, Lake Rotoroa Lodge, on the lake.

The word rotoroa is Māori

Maori language

Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...

for long lake.