Mokoia Island
Mokoia under stormy skies, seen from the south
Mokoia Island is located in Lake Rotorua in New Zealand. It has an area of 1.35 square kilometres. The island is a rhyolite dome, rising to 180 metres above the lake surface.
The island is sacred to Maori of the Arawa iwi, and is the location of one of the most famous legends of New Zealand, that of Hinemoa and Tutanekai, which has parallels with the classical Greek tale of Hero and Leander, but with a happier ending.
According to legend, the two lovers were forbidden to marry, and Hinemoa's father, a chief from the shores of the lake, ordered that she not be allowed to travel by canoe to Tutanekai's tribal village on the island. Hinemoa decided to swim the lake to the island, guided by the sound of Tutanekai's flute-playing.