Mount Egmont (Taranaki)

Description

Mount Egmont (Taranaki) is a dormant volcano, located in Egmont National Park, in the southwest corner of North Island. Its symmetrical snow-capped cone towers majestically near the Tasman Sea coast. Taranaki is the native Maori name for the mountain, which was ruled in court to be an equally valid name to Mount Egmont.

Many maps now show both names for the mountain, since both are considered officially correct. Legendary thick forests once blanketed the mountain's lower slopes, but they exist today only in the higher elevations. The lower slopes have long been cleared, and today hold lush pastures used predominantly for dairy farming. The summit is perpetually snow-capped, and in winter ice ice blankets the entire mountain. The ascent is generally straightforward, but weather is quick to change, and the steep upper slopes are frequently icy. Egmont has a higher death toll than any other mountain in New Zealand, as inexperienced climbers often underestimate its dangers.