Hub of Horopito

Horopito was once a bustling saw-milling town until it fell into decline in the 1920's as people left for better work. Today its a crumbling ghost town with it's hub being the wreckers, Horopito Motors which has set the scene for films like Good Bye Pork Pie and Rodger Donaldson's 1982 drama - Smash Palace - both have become an essential part of New Zealand Culture. Wandering between the rows of stacked cars residing in some form of despair, speckled with rust, doors cut off, and tell-tale signs of tragedy they are all becoming victims of old age. Somehow there's beauty and romance in themes of despair as we contemplate the passing of time. In juxtaposition the unspoilt Mount Ruapehu, covered in the season's fresh snow, grows up out of the pile of wrecks like a mirage, too beautiful it's almost false, yet amongst the despair is hope and opportunity that somewhere out there is the vital part, the missing piece of the puzzle.