Still life

Taxidermist Geoff McPhedran's Clinton showroom makes a striking image in a new book by photographer Arno Gasteiger and writer Kennedy Warne.

View From The Road (Penguin) is a sometimes stunning and always interesting 207-page exploration of New Zealand via State Highway 1.

The book begins with an essay by Warne, the founding editor of New Zealand Geographic, who provides an informative, readable retrospective of the development and significance of the ''2047km ribbon of tar'' that is our nation's No 1 road.

Gasteiger's photos are then wisely left to tell their own story. From seafront Bluff villas on a sunlit morn, and Herbert carver Matt King with a life-size wooden moa skeleton, to the Desert Road snaking towards Waiouru beneath a brooding sky, and the literal end of the road at Cape Reinga's lighthouse, the experienced professional photographer's lens captures a journey and a country of diversity and beauty.

Review: Bruce Munro. Photo: Arno Gasteiger.

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