Mount Taranaki is, without a doubt, the most recognised feature of Taranaki - as the solitary mountain of the region. Standing at 2,518 meters in height Mount Taranaki is an active volcano with a secondary cone (Fanthams Peak) - which is clearly visible on the left-hand side of this picture.
Although Mount Taranaki was known as Taranaki for centuries by Maori, Captain James "T." Cook named the mountain Mount Egmont in honour of John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont, the First Lord of the Admiralty - who was responsible for promoting Cook's first voyage.
In 1986, the Minister of Lands ruled that there would be two alternative and offical names for the mountain - Mount Egmont and Mount Taranaki.
