Known as Panitahi by Māori, Fanthams Peak was named after Fanny Fantham who was the first European woman to climb the peak in 1887. Syme Hut was named after local mountain climbing pioneer Rod Syme.
Mt Taranaki (Taranaki Maunga) has always been a focus for those who live under its 2,518-metre peak. The mountain appears in many guises – on postage stamps and postcards; club, school and commercial logos; sports and social club badges; corporate letterheads; calendars; gravestones; and even in the design of a Crown Lynn dinner set.
The earliest accounts associated with Taranaki iwi ancestors precede the coming of Taranaki to the western seaboard. They were known as the Kāhui Ao, Kāhui Rangi, Kāhui Pō and Kāhui Atua, collectively called Te Kāhui Maunga. They occupied Mimi Maunganui (the mountain preceding Taranaki), Ruatupua (Pouakai), and Ruatawhito (Kaitake) ranges. Their principle village was Karakatonga, situated high up in the heart of the Waiwhakaiho river valley. When the new mountain surfaced the people temporarily evacuated the site with many also perishing.
The journey of Taranaki from the central plateau has been recounted for centuries. It is an account that describes cataclysmic volcanic activity.
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Taranaki was formerly known as Pukeonaki and Pukehaupapa and stood in the area around Lake Rotoaira near Tūrangi, with Ruapehu, Tongariro, and Pihanga.