Egmont National Park
Egmont is a national park in New Zealand. The park was founded in 1900 on the western part of the North Island on an area of 335 km2. Three volcanoes can be seen in the park: Kaitake, Poukai and Egmont. For travelers in the park, dozens of routes have been developed lasting from 15 minutes to 3 days. One of the most beautiful routes passes near Dawson Falls. In addition, the park has lakes and a ski resort.
The park is named after the mountain, and the mountain itself was named after Count John Percival Egmont. The mountain was named so by James Cook, who thanked him for sponsoring his sea travels. For hundreds of years the Maori called the mountain "Taranaki". The volcano is more than 120 thousand years old and its last eruption occurred in 1775. But nevertheless, experts consider the volcano to be dormant. Because of its resemblance to Mount Fuji, Tanaraki was used as a background for the film "The Last Samurai" with Tom Cruise.
Egmont is symmetrical on all sides, except for one bend at the site of the second crater called Fentem Peak. Taranaki is very popular among amateur climbers who can easily climb the mountain in 5-6 hours. But you should be prepared for a sudden change in the weather, because a small snowball can turn into a snowstorm in half an hour.
According to Maori legend, Taranaki once stood in the center, next to the Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe mountains. But one day he fell in love with Mount Pihanga, and upon learning of this, the jealous Tongariro became angry with him and Tanaraki had to go west.
Vegetation in Egmont National Park changes with increasing altitude, at high altitudes there is subalpine vegetation, as well as alpine bush thickets, and grasslands below. From a great height in the park you can see a clearly defined drainage system. In addition, it is worth paying attention to the “Goblin Forest”, which received this name because of the twisted trees overgrown with thick moss. At an altitude of 920 meters there is a unique high-mountain swamp, covered with a large layer of swagnum moss. The swamp is located between Mount Tanaraki and the Pooka Range, and is home to endemic plants that have adapted to the acidic soil and low temperatures.
