Trans Tasman Migration

If you have ever been to the sunniest region in the country, you will have glanced at least once at Taranaki Maunga.

The dormant volcano is a silent guardian of Taranaki and keen mountaineers have been climbing the 2518m tall mountain since 1839 when Johann Karl Ernst Dieffenbach became the first European to reach the summit, defying Māori wāhi tapu.

My partner is from New Plymouth and since I met her more than four years ago, we have waited for the right day to enlist among those daring mountaineers.

While tracing his own family’s journey from Ireland to Aotearoa New Zealand, Richard Shaw encountered how much ‘selective amnesia’ about the colonial past still shapes our lives today.

It is a grim irony that my Irish family – paying to live on land colonised by the English – was involved in alienating Māori from their land

As a doctor Claire Richardson has delivered babies and witnessed those in their final moments, so she decided to put her best foot forward and support those who comfort and care for the dying.

The district is home to some of New Zealand's best stuff, it's just not in a guide book.

John confronts his ignorance of our colonial past, remembers his late best friend and discovers the history of Taranaki.

To mark Taranaki's March 14 anniversary day, here are 10 good reasons to visit the region.

A superb one-day walk, accessible bushwalks and the opportunity to reach the summit of a volcanic peak are highlights of Egmont National Park.

It looks close enough to touch, but don't be fooled - it's every bit a 2518-metre alpine climb.