Rotorua gets its own Monopoly board

A Rotorua edition of Monopoly will go on sale on September 26.

A limited-edition Rotorua Monopoly board featuring famous city landmarks and icons has been created.

The game is being released by RotoruaNZ and Winning Moves, the official licensee of Hasbro. It will feature the Māori language as well as Rotorua’s “rich cultural heritage, iconic attractions, famous landmarks, geothermal wonders and established businesses”, a RotoruaNZ media release said.

In an image supplied with the press release, Te Puia is in the spot typically occupied by Mayfair; the Rotorua i-Site takes the first space on the board after Go; the utilities are named after local businesses; and Community Chest and Chance spaces are labelled in te reo Māori.

The Pullman Rotorua is one of the businesses on the board. General manager Israel Suarez-Guido said in the media release that he did not think twice about getting involved.

“This is a great initiative to showcase Rotorua and the amazing places it has to offer. Rotorua definitely deserves its own Monopoly game.”

The game tokens have been redesigned to represent Rotorua’s iconic features, such as a whitewater raft, a mountain bike, Skyline Luge, and the i-Site clock tower.

Graham Brownrigg, head of visitor services and experience at RotoruaNZ, said the new Monopoly edition was not just a board game.

“It’s a celebration of Rotorua’s culture, language, and heritage. Monopoly Rotorua allows players to connect with our region’s stories and language, bringing a piece of Rotorua into homes worldwide.”

Monopoly Rotorua can be pre-ordered online from September 26 at mairotorua.com for $69.90.

RotoruaNZ told the Rotorua Daily Post the physical games should arrive from the manufacturer in late October, and will be available for $79.90 from Rotorua i-Site Visitor Information Centre and participating businesses.

The special edition was limited to 3000 games in total.

Profits would be returned to participating businesses.

“Participation in the Monopoly game was optional and we had approached a large portion of the Rotorua business community, including tourism businesses and others.”

Clarification

This story has been updated to clarify that Monopoly Rotorua can be pre-ordered online and will later be sold at the iSite or participating businesses.