Egmont National Park, also known as Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki, is a national park located south of New Plymouth, near the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The park includes three volcanic cones: Mount Taranaki and its slopes, Pouākai, and Kaitake. The park was first established in 1881 as a forest reserve and later became New Zealand’s second national park in 1900, after Tongariro National Park.
The forest reserve was created within a six-mile (9.7 km) area around the dormant Taranaki Maunga volcano. Later, areas with the older volcanic remains of Pouākai and Kaitake were added to the reserve on the northwest side. The forest is surrounded by pasture on all sides, giving it a circular shape.
The official name of the park was changed from Egmont National Park to Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki on April 1, 2025.
History
Mount Taranaki (Mt Egmont) is considered holy by local Māori people, who believe the mountain is where their ancestors came from. Māori stories say the mountain was once called Pukeonaki and lived in central New Zealand near Ruapehu, Tongariro, and Pihanga. It is said that Pukeonaki and Tongariro both loved Pihanga and fought over her. Pukeonaki went underground because Tongariro was stronger and traveled toward the sea. When Pukeonaki came back above ground, he fell in love with the Pouākai Range.
The name of the area was given by an early ancestor named Ruataranaki. A cave near the beginning of the Hangatahua River is a burial site called "Te Ana-a-Tahatiti."
In 1770, Captain James Cook saw Mount Taranaki from his ship, the HMS Endeavour. He named it Mount Egmont to honor John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont. In 1865, the mountain and surrounding land were taken over by the government after the land wars of the 1860s as punishment for Māori who resisted.
The first official protected area in the Taranaki region was created in 1881. All land within 9.6 km (6.0 mi) of the mountain’s top was made a forest reserve. This happened because of heavy deforestation and fires in the area. The forest reserve was divided into four smaller reserves managed by committees. The main goal was to protect trees, but the committees also focused on improving the environment and the well-being of the area. In 1876, responsibility for the reserves was given to the Taranaki Land Board. In 1900, the Taranaki Scenery Reservation Society proposed a law to create Egmont National Park. After public support, the Egmont National Park Act was passed. Egmont National Park became the second national park in New Zealand, after Tongariro National Park. The original committees remained active, and New Zealand’s first national park board was created. This board worked until changes to the National Parks Act in 1977 ended its operation.
The Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Act 2025 was passed in February 2025 to settle claims related to the Treaty of Waitangi. The Act changes the name of Egmont National Park to Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki, which means "the highly regarded and treasured lands of Taranaki." The settlement also makes the national park and its contents, including Taranaki Maunga (formerly Mount Egmont), a legal owner of itself. A group called Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi, made up of Māori and government representatives, will manage the park and create plans approved by the Conservation Minister. In April 2025, the New Zealand Geographic Board officially changed the name of Egmont National Park to Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki, along with changing 20 other Taranaki place names.
Geography
Egmont National Park is located in the west of the North Island of New Zealand. It is different from other national parks in New Zealand because it is surrounded by farmland. The park covers an area that is 9.9 km around the top of Mount Taranaki, as well as the Pouakai and coastal Kaitake Ranges. The park is about 33,000 hectares in size. New Plymouth, Hawera, and Stratford are all within 30 kilometers of the park’s edge.
There are three volcanoes in the park: the Kaitaki Range, the Pouakai Range, and Mount Taranaki. The Kaitaki Range is not active, while Mount Taranaki is a volcano that is currently sleeping. Volcanic activity, such as lava flows, ash, and lahars, has moved volcanic material from the mountain peaks and spread it across the park. Lava flows can still be seen in the western part of the park.
Minerals are found throughout the park, especially in the Kaitaki Ranges. These minerals, such as ochre, are only used in traditional ways. Interest in the park’s geology is only for scientific study.
Soils in the park vary because of volcanic activity and the movement of wild animals. All the soils are loose and not tightly packed, which makes them easily eroded. Heavy rainfall in the area causes leaching, and combined with animal activity, makes it hard for plants to grow back. Some parts of the park have poor drainage, leading to swamps. In the southwest, northwest, and north, soils called Maero and Newall were formed by hot gases and volcanic material, called pyroclastic flows, from Mount Taranaki. Soils in the southeast were created from pumice and scoria from Mount Taranaki and Fanthams Peak between 3,500 and 500 years ago. Soils in the east of the park were formed by the 1685 Burrell pumice shower.
The park is on the west coast of the North Island and is exposed to winds coming from the west or northwest. Moist winds from the Tasman Sea create rain when they hit Mount Taranaki and the nearby Pouakai and Kaitake Ranges. Southerly winds are also common. The park’s elevation ranges from about 100 meters (330 feet) to 2,500 meters (8,200 feet), creating many different climates. At lower elevations near the Kaitake Range, the climate is mild and humid, with about 1.5 meters (4 feet 11 inches) of rain each year. Higher areas receive 6.3 to 7.5 meters (21 to 25 feet) of rain annually. Rainfall as high as 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) in one day has been recorded. At the top of Mount Taranaki, winds average 40 km/h (25 mph). Above 1,000 meters (3,300 feet), strong winds and blizzards are common. The mountain is known for very cold conditions because of low temperatures, moisture, and high winds. Icy conditions are common at higher elevations.
The high rainfall and mild coastal climate support a temperate rainforest in the foothills. This forest is unusual because it has no beech trees (genus Nothofagus).
Mount Taranaki, officially called Taranaki Maunga, is a sleeping stratovolcano in the center of the park. It is 2,518 meters tall and the second-largest mountain in the North Island. It is a relatively young volcano that started erupting about 200,000 years ago. Small eruptions happen about every 90 years, and larger eruptions occur every 500 years. The last major eruption was around 1655. The mountain’s name was debated by the public and was officially named "Mount Egmont or Mount Taranaki" in 1985. It was renamed Taranaki Maunga in 2025, along with the national park.
The Pouakai and Kaitake Ranges are extinct stratovolcanoes that were part of the Taranaki Volcanic Succession. The Pouakai Range is the closest to the north of Mount Taranaki and is 1,399 meters tall. The Kaitake Range is further north toward the coast and is 684 meters tall. The protected areas of these two ranges cover 4,965 hectares. The Kaitake Range has unique plants, such as Nikau, titoke, kohekohe, and puriri trees, which are only found in the low-lying coastal areas of the range. A part of the Ahukawakawa wetland in the Pouakai Range is a popular spot for tourists to take photos of Mount Taranaki reflected in a lake.
Ecology
A rich northern rātā / rimu / broadleaf forest is found in the area, but the entire park has different plant communities based on elevation. The rātā and rimu trees are common at lower elevations, while kāmahi trees are more common in the shorter, high-elevation forests. In these old-growth forests, the crown fern (Blechnum discolor) is a major plant growing under the forest canopy.
As elevation increases, the plant communities change, becoming shrublands in subalpine and alpine areas. These areas look very different from the nearby farmland. A clear radial drainage pattern, visible in the satellite image, is one of the park’s notable features.
The Kaitake Range is unique compared to the rest of the national park. Three species found there are not found anywhere else in the park. Two of these species, Phymatosorus novae-zelandiae and Corybas aconitiflorus, are not found anywhere else in the Taranaki district. About 95% of the park’s vegetation is native forest, mostly made up of kohekohe (Dysoxylum spectabile), tawa (Beilschmiedia tawa), and kamahi (Weinmannia racemosa). The area includes lowland and semi-coastal forests that once covered the Taranaki volcanic plain before it became farmland.
The Ahukawakawa Swamp is a rare high-elevation (920 m) wetland covered in sphagnum moss, located between Mount Taranaki and the Pouākai Range. It is home to many species that only live there and are adapted to acidic soil and cold temperatures.
The national park provides important habitat for many bird species that depend on the forest. Threatened birds in the park include the blue duck (whio), North Island brown kiwi, and fernbird. Nearly half of New Zealand’s native fish species live in the park, including threatened species like the giant kōkopu, shortjaw kōkopu, banded kōkopu, and kōaro.
Introduced feral goats once damaged the forest understory. However, the park was declared free of feral goats in 2022, becoming the first national park in New Zealand without any ungulates. The park is already free of feral pigs and deer. Other pest animals present include possums, rodents, hares, stoats, weasels, and ferrets.
Conservation and human interaction
The national park is shared between the New Zealand government and a group of eight iwi, called Te Tōpuni Ngārahu. Another group, Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi, creates management plans for the park and the minister for conservation to review. This group has members chosen equally by iwi and the government. Local groups, such as the Taranaki Regional Council and several district councils, manage activities related to the Resource Management Act 1991 and Biosecurity Act 1993. These laws involve controlling animals and pests and managing natural resources. The New Zealand Police handle search and rescue and law enforcement in the park. The New Zealand Fire Service manages fires, though the Minister of Conservation is the official fire authority.
Efforts to remove pests and rebuild kiwi populations in the park include projects by government and non-government groups. In 2018, work began to remove possums and mustelids from a 4,500-hectare area, including the Kaitake Range, farmland, and Oākura town. In 2023, an additional 5,000-hectare area was added to the project. Goats were removed from the park in 2022 after the longest goat eradication program in the world.
Pests are controlled using traps and aerial drops of poison 1080. Over 1,060 traps for possums, stoats, and ferrets are placed in the park. To protect alpine plants from damage, a boardwalk was built on the Pouakai circuit. Camping is not allowed within 500 meters of the Pouakai tarns due to waste and sanitation issues. In 2017, $3.4 million was spent to improve the Pouakai Range, including adding signs, boardwalks, and toilets.
Egmont National Park is a popular tourist destination. In 2017, about 400,000 people visited the park. Activities include tramping, hunting, and skiing. Hunting permits are available for possums, but deer, pigs, and goats are no longer in the park.
The Pouakai Circuit is a 25-kilometer tramping track that passes through forests, alpine tussock fields, and the Ahukawakawa Swamp. It starts at the North Egmont visitor center and takes two to three days to complete. Holly Hut and Pouakai Hut provide overnight stays. The track is mostly unformed but marked with signs. It may be blocked by snow in winter.
Climbing Mount Taranaki is a popular activity. Over 20,000 people climb the mountain each year. The summit is an 8- to 10-hour round trip starting at the North Egmont Visitor Center. Ice is present in the crater year-round, and special gear like crampons and ice axes may be needed. The summit is considered sacred by Māori, and reaching the top is seen as disrespectful.
The around-the-mountain circuit is a 52-kilometer loop tramping track that takes five to seven days to complete. It passes through forests, rivers, and alpine areas. There are high and low route options, with the high route sometimes blocked by snow in winter.
Manganui Ski Area is a ski field on Mount Taranaki operated by the Stratford Mountain Club and managed by volunteers. Skiing began in 1917, but the first defined ski fields were created in 1929. The area has two sections: the lower ski field, located at 1,250–1,360 meters above sea level with a 20-degree slope, and the upper ski field, at 1,400–1,680 meters with a 25-degree slope. The lower area has a modern T-bar lift, and the upper area has a long rope tow. The ski area covers 59 hectares and is open from early June to mid-October.