I recently ventured up Mt Ruapehu, the ski season had just ended. As I climbed higher up the slopes shrouded in fog and cloud, I was brought back to present day as I saw the man-made relics sitting amongst the volcanic rock. What struck me was the strange relationship we have with this mountain: a volcanic giant, unpredictable and seemingly uncontrollable, yet inhabited by people for a few months every year. Now, it was once again abandoned, the relics of the ski season lying dormant, just like the mountain they rest upon.