The discovery of a local man's body in a Kuirau Park hot pool on Tuesday - at the time of writing his name still not released. Photo / Stephen Parker
It's been a pretty sombre week for Rotorua and our region.
People die all the time. That's life. Out of the public eye, families every week are dealing with their own personal tragedies and loss.
But it's hit especially hard this week.
On Sunday, 11-year-old Connor Phillips killed while out hunting. Just a kid, your heart breaks not just for his parents and three little brothers but for all those involved.
Reporoa has had its share of tragedies in recent times, the small community will today farewell Connor.
The discovery of a local man's body in a Kuirau Park hot pool on Tuesday - at the time of writing his name still not released.
"... tell your families you love them and hold your kids close."
As that was unfolding, a few hundred metres away in Rotorua District Court a young man cried after being discharged without conviction in relation to the death of his mate William Rouppe van der Voort, who drowned in Lake Rotorua last year. More lives altered forever.
Over in Te Kaha - another young man killed in a hunting incident yesterday.
On Wednesday Stephanie McHale, just 29, and a first-time mum. I didn't know her, other than through the sport pages of this newspaper. But others I know did. Or they knew her family.
Rotorua is a small place like that.
Whether it was those loose ties that made it more real, whether it was the thought of her 6-week-old baby, or whether it was just the build-up of tragedy after tragedy, it hit quite a few of us.
Life is so incredibly fragile.
We know it in our heads, but sometimes we get cocky and think it only happens to others.
This week has served as a timely reminder.
Make the most of each day, don't sweat the small stuff, tell your families you love them and hold your kids close. And please, try your best to stay safe.
Because life can change in an instant.
Police have thanked the public for their help in finding Hayden Kemp.