 The lake is close to the northern shore of its more famous neighbour, Lake Rotorua, and is connected to it via the Ohau Channel.It drains to the Kaituna River, which flows into the Bay of Plenty near Maketu.The full name of the lake is Te Rotoiti-kite-a-Īhenga, which in the Māori language means "The Small Lake Discovered By Īhenga", the Māori explorer also credited with discovering Lake Rotorua.