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Jul 31, 2026 3 min read a book of days

proof of life

mount ruapehu as seen from the desert road • sh1, northbound for rotorua

the year's tipped over its highest point and started rolling towards the end again, and here i am, with a few photos from a recent road trip to share

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mount ngauruhoe as seen from the desert road • sh1, northbound for rotorua

geothermal steam lifting off the water at ohinemutu, curling itself up like the lake itself is breathing

an abandoned house at ohinemutu, lake rotorua behind it • too hot to live in, i'd guess, when the ground itself is the heating

cycling the whakarewarewa forest loop

and an early, face-numbing 0°C start, driving out to whirinaki te pua-a-tāne to walk the waterfall and canyon loop, feeling the kind of cold that gets deep in your bones before walking to warm everything up

warming back up in a hot tub at the secret spot (not really that secret)

the other kind of forest bathing, punctuated by cold plunges, because apparently we hadn't had enough cold for one day!

the other kind of forest bathing, punctuated by cold plunges, because apparently we hadn't had enough cold for one day!

enjoying the sunset over lake rotorua

and a foggy sunrise over lake tarawera, with a swan that had strong opinions about being photographed. it got its way in the end, so i suppose it's only fair it gets the last word here too.