diff --git a/src/navigator.js b/src/navigator.js
index 9bcbb376..0cee49a7 100644
--- a/src/navigator.js
+++ b/src/navigator.js
@@ -224,8 +224,6 @@ $.Navigator = function( options ){
     this.displayRegionContainer.appendChild(this.displayRegion);
     this.element.getElementsByTagName('div')[0].appendChild(this.displayRegionContainer);
 
-    this._navigatorRotate = options.navigatorRotate;
-
     function rotate(degrees, immediately) {
         _setTransformRotate(_this.displayRegionContainer, degrees);
         _setTransformRotate(_this.displayRegion, -degrees);
@@ -399,7 +397,7 @@ $.extend( $.Navigator.prototype, $.EventSource.prototype, $.Viewer.prototype, /*
             bottomright = this.viewport.pixelFromPointNoRotate(bounds.getBottomRight(), false)
                 .minus( this.totalBorderWidths );
 
-            if (!this._navigatorRotate) {
+            if (!this.navigatorRotate) {
                 var degrees = viewport.getRotation(true);
                 _setTransformRotate(this.displayRegion, -degrees);
             }
diff --git a/test/demo/rotating-navigator-region.html b/test/demo/rotating-navigator-region.html
index fc81bb22..1005f682 100644
--- a/test/demo/rotating-navigator-region.html
+++ b/test/demo/rotating-navigator-region.html
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
     </div>
     <div id="contentDiv" class="openseadragon1"></div>
     <script type="text/javascript">
-
         var viewer = OpenSeadragon({
             // debugMode: true,
             id: "contentDiv",
@@ -29,6 +28,7 @@
             showNavigator: true,
             navigatorRotate: false
         });
+        viewer.viewport.setRotation(45)
     </script>
 </body>
 </html>