Have you already guessed what these 10 km from the top are?
On a protruding promontory above the Tasman Sea, like a lonely giant, there is a volcano mountain - Egmont or Mount Taranaki.
Rising like an island from a sea of pasture meadows, Mount Egmont often seems like a mirage - it disappears, then it appears: clouds and fog sometimes completely hide it. But in clear weather the majestic peak crashes into the sky, and almost the entire massif is visible from afar. From the snow-capped peak (2494 m) to the rain forests of the lower slopes, the mountain overwhelms with dazzling landscapes.
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The Maori say that Mount Egmont - they call it Taranaki - originated at Cape Egmont as a result of a love affair. Once Taranaki lived in the center of the North Island, but he constantly fought with another mountain warrior, Tongariro, for the possession of the mountain-maiden Pihanga. Taranaki was defeated. He retreated to the southwest, on the way cutting through a gorge - the valley of the Wanganui River.
The jagged cliffs on the upper slopes of the mountain tell a different story: they were created by lava, because Mount Egmont is a volcano. The lava erupted to the surface about 70,000 years ago, when Powakai and Kaitake, the volcanoes northwest of Mount Egmont, were already extinguished. Since then, the Egmont volcano periodically erupted, throwing out lahar - mud streams with rock debris. The most terrible eruption took place in 1500, the last powerful one - in 1665, and the less powerful one - in 1775.
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However, violent volcanic activity can not only destroy, but also create. Farmers should be grateful to her for the volcanic ash, which ensures the fertility of the soil on which a rich harvest ripens. Some of the local plants are not found anywhere else: on the mountain, isolated, like an island, there are two native species of daisies, a unique fern and two rare species of butterflies.
Entering the labyrinth of lush vegetation on the lower slopes, you are lost in the rainforest, where the rimu (dacridium) trees are 30 times taller than a person. On the branches of Rome, twining around them, like vines, other trees grow, such as the rata (metrosideros), also fighting for access to light. Rata do not feed on Rome, but on their own, lowering their aerial roots down into the soil. Over time, the Rata will probably defeat the Rima in the fight for light. However, trees of these two species are gradually disappearing under the onslaught of the third species - kamaho (weismani).
Above you can see conifers - kaykavaka (liposedrus); some of them are over 400 years old. At a level of about 1070 m, the mountains are covered with bushes as tall as a person. Rocks and talus are colored by a belt of alpine flowers, and the edges of the crater are covered only with mosses and lichens.
For centuries, no one except Maori has stepped on the slopes of the mountain. In 1642, the Dutch navigator Tasman sailed past Cape Egmont, probably on a cloudy day, since he does not mention this mountain. Only on January 10, 1770, Mount Egmont appeared before the eyes of a European; it was Captain James Cook, who gave the grief the name of the former First Lord of the Admiralty.
In 1839, Maori guides accompanied the first European expedition to the top of the mountain; It was attended by the naturalist Professor E. Dieffenbach and the whaler J. Geberley. They followed in the footsteps of Tahuranga, the Maori leader who ascended the summit several centuries before them. According to legend, a thin transparent cloud, often circling over the top, is the smoke from his fire. The Maori believe that spirits and mythical reptiles live among the majestic mountains, so the guides did not dare to step above the border of the snow, and the Europeans climbed to the top together.
Today, Mount Egmont is the most popular peak among climbers. At least 240,000 people climb it annually. The entire territory within a radius of 10 km from the summit in 1881 became a nature reserve.
Mount Egmont is the last bastion of forests that covered the entire area; she remains untamed, like her green veil. Sudden changes in the mood of the mountain can take visitors by surprise: suddenly a wind blows or suddenly fog descends. And the volcano itself is dormant, it can wake up at any moment.
The forests that line the slopes of Mount Egmont are rich in ferns and vines, and long garlands of pale green moss hang from many of the trees.
Sometimes, through the branches of the trees, you can see the delicate pink petals of a graceful fragrant orchid. Orchids can be seen on the underside of the branches; they are epiphytes using tree branches for support. But they do not live off trees, but feed on decaying substances and moisture that accumulates on the branches.
Outwardly, the volcano is similar to the Japanese volcano Fuji, so Taranaki was shot as a background in the film "The Last Samurai".
For many centuries this mountain was considered sacred by the local population (Maori) and, of course, the locals have many legends about this volcano. For example, one of them:
Taranaki is one of the most beautiful volcanoes in the world. In the spring, when snow melts from its top, the mountain slopes begin to be covered with lush vegetation. And streams run down the slopes, forming beautiful lakes with the purest water.