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The Life of the Adventurer

James Roy Whitfield

Born: August 23, 1963  •  Departed: August 8, 2026

Djehutymose — the Egyptian identity of James Roy Whitfield

Djehutymose

Portrait of James Roy Whitfield

James Roy Whitfield

Ascending Passage

Hail, Djehutymose, true of voice before the gods. The doors of the horizon open for you, and the bolts draw back of their own accord.

Osiris says: “Come, you who are pure, whose heart has been weighed and found steady as the feather of Ma’at.”

Thoth, the reckoner of words, the lord of the sacred writings, stands beside you and speaks on your behalf before the great tribunal. For you bear his name, Djehutymose — he who is born of Thoth — and he does not forsake his own.

Ra rises for you each morning upon the eastern horizon, and Nut, the sky, gathers you as she gathers the stars into her body at dusk, to bring you forth again reborn.

You shall not hunger, for the fields of Iaru are green for you. You shall not thirst, for the cool waters of the Duat are yours to drink. You shall walk among the Imperishable Stars, and your name shall be spoken, and so you shall live again.

Go in peace, Djehutymose, true of voice. The West receives you gently, as a mother receives her child.

NameJames Roy Whitfield
BornAugust 23, 1963
BirthplacePaducah, Texas, USA
ResidesWellington, New Zealand
CitizenshipsNew Zealand · United States of America

For over two decades, James Roy Whitfield has walked the sands of Egypt — drawn again and again to the land where time itself was first measured and monuments were raised to defy it. From the shadowed corridors of Karnak to the silent majesty of the Western Desert, each journey became a pilgrimage, each return a homecoming.

This chronicle is his testament: a collection of images, reflections, and memories gathered across twenty-six years of exploration. Some photographs were taken in the golden hour at the foot of the pyramids; others in the dusty back rooms of village markets. Many remain scattered on old drives and undeveloped film, waiting to be rediscovered and added to these pages.

The final chapters move beyond the Nile — a quiet record of the years that followed, where the spirit of adventure found new expression in the landscape of everyday life. Together, they form one continuous manuscript: the story of a life shaped by the ancient world.

James Roy Whitfield

Funeral Service Details

Family, friends, and all who knew him are warmly invited to gather in remembrance

Preliminary Details

The arrangements below are preliminary and will be updated next week with the final service plan and precise burial plot (GPS) coordinates.

Service Date & Time

Monday, 19 October 2026

11:30am (NZT)

Service Location

Kapiti Coast Funeral Home

9 Tongariro Street, Paraparaumu

Kapiti Coast 5032, New Zealand

View on Google Maps

Final Resting Place

Awatapu Cemetery

Area LMF, Plot 32

View on the council cemetery map

Watch the Service

The service will be streamed live for those unable to attend in person.

View the livestream

Preparing the Way

Glimpses of what is being readied for his farewell on Monday 19 October.

James's casket in the funeral home chapel
The Vessel for His JourneyHis casket, dressed and ready for the voyage ahead.
James's headstone being made — Thoth and Osiris either side of his name, DjehutymoseWork in progress
The Gateway to Aaru, Taking ShapeHis headstone as it is being made. Thoth and Osiris stand either side of his name, Djehutymose, sealed in its cartouche.
Overhead map of Awatapu Cemetery showing James's plot — Area LMF, Plot 32
His Resting PlaceAwatapu Cemetery, Area LMF, Plot 32.View his plot on the Kāpiti Coast District Council cemetery map

Cemetery Plot Map

His plot is Area LMF, Plot 32. View it on the council's cemetery map.

The headstone for James Roy Whitfield — the Gateway to Aru for Djehutymose
His headstone — the Gateway to Aru
The casket covering chosen for James Roy Whitfield
His casket covering

Ascension to Aaru

The gods prepare the way for the next journey

Ascension to Aaru

Ascension to Aaru

Personal & Family

Photographs from the life behind the journeys, gathered from the archive.

385 photographs