mountain, west-central North Island, New Zealand, on the Taranaki Peninsula. The symmetrical volcanic cone rises from sea level to 8,260 ft (2,518 m) and has a subsidiary cone, 6,438-ft Fanthams Peak, 1 mi (1.5 km) south of the main crater. Both have been dormant since the early 17th century. Streams issuing from the snowfields at the summit have carved deep gorges down the slopes. Dense forests clothe the mountain, giving way to the fertile plain at its base. Mt. Taranaki is the youngest and most southerly of a group of volcanoes, including Pouakai and Kaitake, that are within Egmont National Park. The peak was sighted (1770) by the British navigator Capt. James Cook and was first climbed in 1839.