It was named Kaap Pieter Boreel by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1642, but renamed Cape Egmont by British explorer James Cook in 1769. (Note: Tasman did not sight Mount Taranaki, due to bad visibility, but Cook did, and after naming the mountain Mount Egmont, bestowed the same name on the promontory, which became the enduring name). Ironically, the cape retained a Dutch name, as Cook named the mountain and cape after the Earl of Egmont, who claimed descent of the Dutch House of Egmond.