Rotorua's Christmas Style 1966 and 2016

Celebrating Rotorua's Christmas style

2016 Events

Rotorua Library's Summer Reading Events & Competitions

Rotorua Glo Festival 2016

GLO Movies 

Christmas Parade 2016

Interislander Summer Festival Rotorua Races

Puarenga Park Run Santa-Dash

Get Green School Holiday Activities





The Fish Out of Water Annual Competition (since 2007) check out this year's awesome entries at a shop near you!

Here's one from last summer :

Granny by Jane Matua

Rotorua Photo News is available to read at Rotorua Library, in the Heritage & Research Area.
1966

A unique Christmas party
From the Rotorua Photo News 10 Feb 1967, photo's by Jack Lang

The Telephone Exchange is transformed every Christmas
This display was in the Rotorua Photo News 10 Feb 1967, photo's by Jack Lang.

June 1968 from the Rotorua Photo News

A snapshot of Rotorua June 1968

Were you here in 1968? Do the following images resonate with you? Perhaps you are in one of the photographs? If so please email Rotorua District Library with your memories, we would love to hear from you and perhaps share your photographs from this era of Rotorua's  past. Library Email 

From : Rotorua Photo News, No. 57, 8 June 1968, p 67.

The Rotorua Photo News was published from 1963 to 1971 and has some wonderful images of Rotorua and what the community was up to during that period. You may even be in the magazine but your name has not been published if so please let us know.  Our copies of the Photo News are reference only, but if you want to while away a few minutes (or hours) they are a fascinating snapshot of Rotorua's history.  The originals of Jack Lang's photographs are now owned by the Rotorua Museum, so if you find yourself in the magazine, you can request a copy from the Museum, as long as you can quote the exact date and edition of the Photo News.

New Zealand Music Month, Post No. 2

Rotorua's Music Heritage 

Ever heard of a local band called "Dizzy Feelings" ? It seems Rotorua was a rockin' place in the 1960s. This band features in The Rotorua Photonews of 6 July 1968 auditioning, along with other Rotorua muso's for a N.Z.B.C. Radio series to be known as "Home Town Sounds '68" 

Were you part of the band? Did you hear them on the radio?  If so we'd love to hear from you!

Email : Alison.Leigh@rotorualc.nz

And here they are ....

Rotorua Photo News, Photographs by Jack Lang 

History of the Native Schools in Rotorua

Centenary of Maori Schools in New Zealand 1967

In the Rotorua Photonews the editor Jack Lang began a series of articles and photographs showcasing Rotorua's history of Maori Education. 

Below is the first page of his series published on 20 October 1967 pg 59-65, starting with the Renana School at Te Ngae which opened in 1896 and eventually closed in 1926 when Whangamarino and Rotokawa Maori Schools opened, in this edition are Whakarewarewa School and Horohoro School .   The following Photonews editions continued the history : November 17th 1967 p. 35-41 Whangamarino School and Rotokawa School ; December 15th 1967 p. 87-93 Rotoiti School and Wharepaina School, Reporoa.

To see the photographs and read about this fascinating history come to the Library's 2nd floor, Don Stafford Room, Heritage Collection.