New Plymouth Travel Guide

An archetypal snow-capped cone volcano, described by 17th century Dutch explorer Abel Tasman as "the noblest hill I've ever seen," Mount Taranaki is the geological, geographical and cultural icon of the North Island's west coast. Aslo known as Mount Egmont, Taranaki is the Maori word for 'Gliding Peak.' As the legend goes, Taranaki lived amongst the other large volcanoes to the east (Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe), but was banished after a love affair with Pihanga, Tongariro's wife.

Mount Taranaki has also been used as a cinematic stand in for Japan's Mount Fuji.

New Plymouth gives access from the north to the famed "surf highway" running semi-circumferentially along the coastal western base of Mount Taranaki. The short 30 minute drive makes this one of the few places in the world where you can both snow ski/board and surf in the same day.