Lake Tarawera is the largest of a series of lakes which surround the volcano Mount Tarawera in the North Island of New Zealand. Like the mountain, it lies within the Ōkataina Caldera. It is located to the east of Rotorua, and beneath the peaks of the Tarawera massif i.e. Wahanga, Ruawahia, Tarawera and Koa. Tarawera means "Burnt Spear", named by a visiting hunter who left his bird spears in a hut and on returning the following season found that both his spears and hut had been turned to ashes.
Geography
Lake Tarawera is above sea level,
Lake Tarawera's outflow at its north east end, has been heavily influenced by the local geology, with a mean discharged on the surface into the Tarawera River, which flows north-east into the Bay of Plenty. An estimate of subsurface outflow has been made by measuring flow below Tarawera Falls where total river flow has increased to . Whakatane eruption The last major decrease in lake level occurred in a flood of 1904 down the Tarawera River valley after the new volcanic material dam first broke on 1 November 1904.
Also assumed destroyed were the nearly famed Pink and White Terraces which were located to the south of the lake and accessed via boat across the lake and the old Lake Rotomahana. However, in February 2011 a team mapping the lake floor discovered what appeared to be part of the Pink Terraces. The lowest two tiers of the terraces were reportedly found in their original place at deep (too deep for scuba diving without special gas gear). Subsequently, a portion of the White Terraces was reportedly rediscovered in June 2011. The announcement of the rediscovery of the White Terraces coincided with the 125th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. Tarawera in 1886. It was thought that the rest of the terraces may be buried in sediment rather than having been destroyed. More recent research question these earlier findings and reports the Pink and White terrace spring sites instead lie on land (along with a lesser-known Black Terrace spring). As of 2023 no sample of any terrace has been recovered, so any claim of survival of any of the terrace formations is unproven.
Ecology
Lake Tarawera is classified as mesotrophic, with a trophic level index of 3.0 in 2014 which was a decline.
Recreational
Lake Tarawera is home to eels and rainbow trout. During the summer it is popular for both fishing and water sports, and also camping as there a number of hot water beaches. Much of the more inaccessible lake shore is part of the Lake Tarawera Scenic Reserve with hunting permits possible. There are multiple popular walking trails with access to thermal features and rock paintings, often without a permit. It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km<sup>2</sup>. Lake Tarawere township is part of the larger Kaingaroa-Whakarewarewa statistical area.
The township had a population of 237 in the 2023 New Zealand census, a decrease of 30 people (−11.2%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 30 people (14.5%) since the 2013 census. There were 126 males and 111 females in 135 dwellings. 1.3% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 57.2 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 24 people (10.1%) aged under 15 years, 24 (10.1%) aged 15 to 29, 114 (48.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 75 (31.6%) aged 65 or older.