Water Pipe — June 2026
The old pipe was over 40 years old, and nobody knew exactly where it was.
RARIK dropped by and traced the electrical cable, so we guessed the water pipe must be nearby. After a bit of gentle poking about, the services were discovered and a trench dug back to the main connection.
Some beautiful colours in the cut — a mixture of the pre-eruption river bed and the most recent lava flow, around 2,000 years ago. The dark basaltic lava on top grades into older, more oxidised material below, with striking reds and oranges where iron minerals have weathered over the centuries. In places, yellow and ochre staining from iron oxide deposits — limonite and goethite — caught the light beautifully.
Drone shots taken for the record in case it ever needs to come up again, and the road filled back in.
New, thicker pipe laid, sandwiched in a layer of crushed lava and buried deeper than before. Fingers crossed.
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