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New Zealand
> National Parks > Mount Taranaki -
(formerly Mt Egmont)
 The
symmetrical cone of the dormant volcano Mount Taranaki" is a provincial
landmark. There are also two smaller surrounding volcanoes of an age ago, Kaitake and
Pouaki.
The park comprises 33,534 hectares of forest and was established as a forest
reserve in 1881 and a national park in 1900. It comprises all the land in a
9-kilometre radius of the Mount Taranaki summit and some outlying areas to the
north.
The legends that
go with the territory are as interesting as ever! It
is said that Taranaki carved out the bed of the
Whanganui River on a tragic flight from its ancestral
home to the east.
Mt Taranaki is a very popular
tourist destination and can be easily accessed from the nearby
towns of New Plymouth, Inglewood, Stratford and Opunake. There is a great walking track system, and has short easy ones
and hard slogs! Just watch out though, because this mountain is
famous for its rapid weather changes, and it can go from a beautiful
day to a miserable one in a very short period and people ill
prepared have died due to sudden storms and ill equipped people
regularly die of exposure when caught by sudden storms.
The summit is a
sacred place to the Tangata Whenua of the area however respectful
visitors are welcome. It is a hard walk to the top of Mt Taranaki,
but if you want something more relaxing, there are an
amazing array of waterfalls, wetlands and places to
check out the view.
There are a few
gorgeous waterfalls in the area, within easy reach of
Dawson Falls. It is a nice walk through the Goblin
Forest to Wilkies Pools. Wilkies Pools are a series
of plunge pools formed by the scraping and scouring
of the sand and gravel in the water.
There is a huge
5-day (3-4 if you take the high-level summer option)
which circles the mountain. Routes to the summit are
suitable only for experienced trampers and climbers,
but if your not so great, don’t worry! There are
plenty of great views and spectacular visions to
behold in the area.
This mountain has snow on it as well, and a small club field is
located in the area. So snow sports are an option and there is
fishing, hunting and mountaineering activities on this
magnificent park. Tramping Info
JL
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