A model who hiked up a volcano in New Zealand and then stripped and posted a photograph of herself naked on social media has angered the local Maori community who say she “disrespected” the mountain.

Jaylene Cook, a 25-year-old Playboy model from New Zealand, caused a furore after taking a photograph near the top of Mount Taranaki and posting it on Instagram.

Insisting the image was “natural and pure”, she said she and her partner Josh Shaw, a photographer, had researched the mountain’s significance before their hike and were careful to avoid the summit.

"[The photo] is not crude or explicit in any way,” she told stuff.co.nz.

“We made ourselves knowledgeable on the history of the mountain. We were quite respectful. Being nude is not something that is offensive in any way. It's natural and pure and it's about freedom and empowerment."