Lake Rotomahana is an lake in northern New Zealand, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Rotorua. It is immediately south-west of the dormant volcano Mount Tarawera, and its geography was substantially altered by a major 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera. Along with the mountain, it lies within the Okataina caldera. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "warm lake" for , following Hochstetter. Before the 1886 eruption, only two small lakes were present in the current lake's basin. High quality pictures of the then Lake Rotomahana and associated tourist attractions were widely available in Europe by 1875. Following the eruption, a number of craters filled over the course of 15 years to form today's Lake Rotomahana. It is the most recently formed larger natural lake in New Zealand, and the deepest in the Rotorua district. The lake's northern shore lies close to the lower Lake Tarawera, separated by less than of terrain that is mostly material from the 1886 eruption. Lake Rotomahana has no natural outlet, and its water level varies by about one meter in response to rainfall and evaporation. The lake is a wildlife refuge (and was one prior to first contact), with all hunting of birds prohibited. A healthy population of black swan inhabits the lake, and there are efforts underway to ensure the lake's largest island, Patiti Island, is kept pest-free. Recent research confirms Patiti Island is the closest surviving pre-eruption feature on the old lake, i.e. to survive the 1886 eruption, being formerly known as Rangipakaru Hill. There is no public access to the lake, save for the Tourist Track, overland from Lake Tarawera. A boat cruise on the lake, visiting hydrothermal features on the lake's shore, is available as an additional extra from the Waimangu Volcanic Valley tourism operation. Pink and White Terraces The Pink and White Terraces were a natural wonder on the shores of the lake before the 1886 eruption. They were considered to be the eighth wonder of the natural world and were New Zealand's most famous tourist attraction during the 19th century, from c. 1870-1886; but were buried or destroyed by the eruption. Scientists thought they had rediscovered the lower tiers of the Pink and White Terraces on the lake bed at a depth of in 2011. More recent research reports over 2016-2020 suggest the upper parts of both terraces lie on land and