The primary feature is of the park is Mount Taranaki, a dormant volcano. The park's nearly circular boundary protects forested areas on the mountain's slopes.
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For many centuries the mountain was called Taranaki by Māori. The Māori word tara means mountain peak, and naki is thought to come from ngaki, meaning "shining", a reference to the snow-clad winter nature of the upper slopes. It was also named Pukehaupapa and Pukeonaki by iwi who lived in the region in ancient times.