The area takes its name from Mount Taranaki, a volcano that rises above the beaches. Chambers twice tried to further international interest in the resources of the sands, but was thwarted at first by the lack of interest and smelting difficulties. He tried in 1876, when he approached smelters in the UK and US, but a general lack of interest produced only a few laboratory test smelts. In 1886 John Parry managed to persuade Sir Henry Bessemer to experiment with the sands; the results were promising, though Bessemer was in his twilight years and unable to continue with development.