Egmont National Park

Localization

Close to the southwest coast of the North Island of New Zealand, south of the town of New Plymouth.

Access

Easy. There are three roads leading part-way up the mountain. The roads lead to North Egmont, East Egmont and Dawson Falls.

Characteristic

335 km²; Egmont National Park is a mountainous area that encompasses three volcanic cones. The main peak of Mount Taranaki/Egmont (2,518 m) forms the nucleus of the park. The park area spreads in the radius of about nine kilometers around the Mt. Egmont volcano - typical cone dominating to flat surrounding landscape. Mount Egmont, is an active but quiescent stratovolcano. Very high annual precipitation. There are many waterfalls in the park area. Various volcanic activity demonstrations - lava flows, etc. Ahukawakawa Swamp is a rare high-altitude (920m) sphagnum moss wetland with its wide range of plants adapted to survive in acidic soils and very low temperatures. Beech forests are completely missing. Typical ecosystems: temperate zone forests, alpine and volcanic biotopes, freshwater ecosystems (rivers) and wetlands.

Fauna + Flora

Species List - See the Attachment Below.

Possible activities

Many trekking paths - short to several days, moderately difficult climbing up the volcano summit

Mountaineering, skiing

Note

Swift changes of the weather.

Very interesting region from geological point of view