Rotorua, New Zealand [Tuesday Morning into Afternoon]

[heroic_jawline]

Get set for a big day in Rotorua!

Start at Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, a spectacular showcase of New Zealand's most colorful and unique geothermal elements sculpted by thousands of years of volcanic activity. Explore the out-of-this-world landscape, including the famous mud pool, the largest in New Zealand. Arrive at 10:15 am to hear the history and see the beauty of the Lady Knox Geyser, which erupts daily to heights of 33 to 66 feet (10 to 20 m).

Or you can go back to the swings (or the luge that are up by the swings), try the skydiving, or stay close to the lodge, which also offers activities for the day.

Comments

Re: Doing Your Own Thing

[pun_king]

"Nope!" said Graham (who always had been pretty ripe for being roped into most things) brightly. "I was definitely,absolutely, no doubt about it at some of the events yesterday, so today? It's all about seeing where the adventure takes me!"

Even if that adventure was taking him....very high up in the sky!

Re: Doing Your Own Thing

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Wasn't it awesome?!? They were going so high!

"Yeah, and the boiling mud and geysers sounded pretty cool? But not cooler than more skydiving! And zip lining! And there're apparently animals we can see and hang out with at the top? Mostly sheep or something, I think, but sheep are cute, right?"

Said the city girl who had never need near one in her life.

Re: Doing Your Own Thing

[pun_king]

Super awesome! Not scary at all!

You know Graham was going to want to do it again immediately once it was over.

"Really?" he asked. "Zounds! That's great, I really brushed up on my Sheep before coming here, since I read there was a lot of them, so it'll be a good chance to use it! I haven't really had a chance to talk to a lot of sheep before, mostly just Libby when she turns into a lamb,but I'm not sure that really counts. Oh! And a herd of them mistakenly came into the radio studio during my broadcast last week, they were a little lost, I don't think anyone knew where to find them! But I heard, if you just leave them alone, they'll still come home, wagging their tails behind them!"

Re: Doing Your Own Thing

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden would be only too happy to indulge him in going super-high all over again. She was a giver that way.

"Brushed up on your....okay, I can't tell if that was a sheep pun, or you're saying you can talk to sheep, or both."

It was Graham, so the pun seemed kind of a given, but she wouldn't be terribly surprised to find out that he just casually chatted with animals on the regular.

Re: Doing Your Own Thing

[pun_king]

"No, I really can talk sheep!" Graham said with a laugh. "Although now I kind of wish it was a pun, that'd've been a great one! Though it's nowhere near as good as my Capybara, and definitely not up to my Squirrel, but it should be enough to get by! Check this out."

Graham took a second to clear his throat, pulled himself up importantly with fingers steepled at his chest as he proudly rattled off a series of baas and bleats, and then grinned at Arden proudly.

"That," he announced, "was me saying 'hello, lovely sheep of New Zealand! My name is Graham and this is my new friend Arden, it's very nice to meet ewe all!

"Admittedly, though," he added, a little remorsefully, "THAT pun actually does get a little lost in translation."

Re: Doing Your Own Thing

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden was just staring at him. "So you're also magic?" she asked. "Like Charlie? And Grey?"

And apparently everybody?

Re: Doing Your Own Thing

[pun_king]

"Oh, no," said Graham, "not like Charlie, I'm no where as good as Charlie, and Gray has been holding out on me! I didn't even know he had magic! Or did I? He may have mentioned it and I forgot."

He shrugged.

"But Speaking with Animals isn't really magic, I'd say, it's just effective communication!"

It was definitely magic.

Re: Doing Your Own Thing

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"I mean, he's cursed," Arden explained. "It's why he falls asleep so much. I guess being cursed isn't the same thing as being magic...? But I have no idea how all this stuff works anyway."

Because none of it worked the way it did in her world, which was both reassuring and also deeply unsettling.

"Also? Preeeeeetty sure it's magic. I mean, I've got a knack with birds--" and that was magic "--but we can't communicate, like, as a language. We just sorta...vibe."

And sometimes they bullied her.