Graham's guide to the hot lakes, published in 1884, was one of the first guides to New Zealand’s thermal region. Keenly aware of the tourist potential, Robert Graham secured control of the geysers around Wairākei and Huka Falls. He managed hotels at Ōhinemutu, near Rotorua, and Te Wairoa, near Tarawera.

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Appointed as an engineer to the Crown Lands Department in Rotorua, Camille Malfroy took a keen interest in the region’s thermal activity, recognising its tourist potential. He was one of the first to experiment with ways of utilising the geothermal resources, building an engineering works that made the Pōhutu geyser at Whakarewarewa erupt more regularly.

Learn more at the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
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