Mount Taranaki, or Mount Egmont as named by Captain James Cook himself, is a dormant volcano in the southwest of New Zealand's North Island. It dominates the region of Taranaki and represents the centre point of Mount Egmont National Park that forms an almost perfectly circular area of 33,500 ha around the peak. In fact, Taranaki is considered to be one of the most symmetrical volcanoes in the world.
From Taranaki's 2518 m high peak, Mount Egmont National Park extends with a radius of about 10 km in all directions. Surrounding the volcano is a circular ring that is made up of a dense rainforest. This rainforest benefits from orographic rainfall that is created when moist air streams from the Tasman Sea are pressed upwards over mountainous territory, such as of Taranaki.
Mount Egmont is the second oldest national park in New Zealand and was founded in 1900. Due to a change in altitude of about 2000 m, the park has several diverse landscapes that are home to many endemic plant and animal species. Besides, Taranaki is credited with a cultural value and plays an important role in Maori mythology.