Mount Hikurangi, Gisborne

Mount Hikurangi (or Te Ara ki Hikurangi in Māori) is a 1754 metre (5755 feet) peak in the northeastern corner of New Zealand's North Island, 60 kilometres (37 mi) southwest of East Cape. It is the North Island's highest non-volcanic peak. The peak is sacred to the Ngati Porou Māori of the region, who regard it as the resting place of Nukutaimemeha, the waka (canoe) of the legendary hero Maui. The peak is traditionally regarded as the first land in the world to catch the rays of the new day's sun, although this claim, like any such claim of its type, is open to interpretation. Certainly it is not true at any time of the year other than the southern hemisphere summer, as both Fiji and Tonga are to the east. In summer, however, because of...