DOMESTIC AND COMMERCIAL HEATING BATHING ROTORUA AREA
INTRODUCTION Geothermal resources in the Rotorua area have been put to a number of practical uses, many of which are described in this article. The use of the geothermal resource in this region has a long history, well and truly pre dating European settlement. The earliest uses were for bathing, washing and cooking, these being made possible by the existence of suitable natural features. Today, geothermal is applied to a variety of domestic and commercial heating and other purposes. It is used for both the heat it can provide and the "mineral" water content of the fluid; however, geothermal is not available over the whole city. Increasing usage during the post war decades was linked to the apparent decline natural activity at Whakarewarewa. In the 1980s, the government implemented a control program that, amid other things, resulted in the closure of wells within 1.5 km of Pohutu geyser.