TARANAKI - North Island, New Zealand

The Taranaki province juts out from the rest of the North Island as a large peninsula formed around Mt Egmont (the Maori name is Maunga Taranaki), an elegant conical volcano standing at 2500 metres high.

The upper half of the mountain looks barren and it is rightly named Taranaki which means 'peak clear of vegetation'. Taranaki was first spotted by Captain Cook who named it Egmont in honour of the first Lord of the admiralty.

The mountain can be viewed from anywhere in the region however it is not visible a lot of the time due to cloud covering. A famous local saying goes; "If you can see the mountain, it is going to rain. If you cannot see the mountain, it is raining already."

New Plymouth is the capital of the Taranaki province. It offers a good base for exploring Taranaki and Mt Egmont National Park and provides decent accommodation and eating facilities.

New Plymouth is a good launching pad for day trips to the Egmont National Park that surrounds the mountain. It has great access to the famous windsurfing and surfing destination of Oakura.

Mt Egmont itself provides some interesting minor attractions in the form of a one or two day loop around the mountain. To the west of the mountain, the SH45 or Surf Highway has superb surf beaches with strong surfing communities at Oakura and Opunake. Hawera is an interesting place with a couple of museums and is famous for dam dropping.

In the early 19th century most Maoris had migrated to Kapiti Island as they were forced to flee the larger northern tribes. In 1828, John Lowe and Richard Barrett set up a trading and whaling station on the Ngamotu Beach.

More settlers arrived in 1841 in six ships owned by the Plymouth Company. The settlers suitably named the region New Plymouth.

Returning Maoris were confronted with land disputes and a 10 year war broke out in 1860 called the Taranaki Land Wars. On cessation of war, the fertile lands gave birth to dairy farms which in due course were either closed or amalgamated. The largest dairy plant in Taranaki is at Hawera.

In the 1970s, the discovery of natural gas tilted the region towards petrochemical activities. This led to the assembling of modular factories imported from America and Japan. After the initial find, supplies have dwindled and the units are waiting for action in the hope of new gas finds.

New Plymouth

New Plymouth is the largest city in the Taranaki region and is a hub of bustling commercial activity and enterprise.

Port Taranaki in the western part of New Plymouth is the largest international port on the west coast. The streets of the city are well gridded with an attractive waterfront.

The city is home to the prestigious Govett Brewster Art Gallery and a regional museum called Puke Ariki. Pukekura Park is a beautiful public park.

Sugar Loaf Islands Marine Reserve is an excellent retreat for land and aquatic wildlife. To the south of the town, a drive along scenic Carrington Rd leads to the rhododendron gardens of Pukeiti.

New Plymouth - More Information

Egmont National Park

Mt Taranaki (or Mt Egmont) dominates the entire west coast of the North Island. The Egmont National Park forms an arc with a 10 km radius around the mountain except on the northern side where it forms the Kaitake Range.

There is lot of native bush which becomes trees higher up and further up becomes slopes of volcanic gravel.

There are three main sealed roads leading up the mountain to parking areas. This is where the Egmont National Park branches in all directions in the form of 140 kilometres of walking tracks.

The three bases on the mountain are North Egmont, most easily accessible from New Plymouth, East Egmont which provides you higher road access up the mountain, and Dawson Falls with great alpine walking tracks.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) office and the Visitor Centre at New Plymouth provide excellent information on the extensive network of walking tracks in the park.

Reasonable fitness is necessary for a hike up to the summit which can be completed in a day. The higher reaches of the mountain are closed during winter and even in the peak hiking season between January and April, bad weather in the form of snow, rain and clouds present huge danger to hikers and there have been fatalities.

You are best advised to get the latest weather report from the DOC or Visitor Centre before setting out on the trip.

Egmont National Park - More Information

Taranaki Transportation

There are buses running into Taranaki mostly to New Plymouth, the capital city of Taranaki province.

Taranaki Accommodation

Taranaki Activities