text: [Themes: Children's, child protagonist, male protagonist, dinosaurs, educational, Alternate History, kid-friendly, fantasy, polynesia]
  
  Are you sure you want to quit? 
  
  Welcome to Aotearoa!
  
  Display Test:
  
  *+ LM jk
  
  If no words above were colored or emphasized,
  or if you didn't see the characters as vowels with macrons,
  or if you want to adjust the colors displayed,
  or if you want to see interpreter compatibility information,
  press K now.
  
  Press R to restore an existing story, or a number from 1 to 4 to start a new story...
  
  1) ...with an in-game tutorial for new players, as well as color keyword highlighting in the text.
  2) ...with an in-game tutorial for new players, but no keyword highlighting.
  3) ...with no tutorial, but with color keyword highlighting in the text.
  4) ...with no tutorial and no keyword highlighting.
  
  [Author's Note: The Fish of Māui. The Land of the Long Cloud. Aotearoa. An entire continent of untamed wilds, and the last place on Earth where dinosaurs still roam. If only you'd come ashore under better circumstances...]
  
  > K.
  Aotearoa can make use of emphasized keywords to indicate objects you can interact with. It is recommended that your interpreter program correctly displays them with some form of emphasis, although it is not strictly required. Type a number below to cycle through display options until you find one that shows clearly on your system:
  
  1) Emphasized object keywords currently look like this.
  2) Emphasized topic keywords currently look like this.
  
  Press 0 when you're finished here.
  
  > 1
  Aotearoa can make use of emphasized keywords to indicate objects you can interact with. It is recommended that your interpreter program correctly displays them with some form of emphasis, although it is not strictly required. Type a number below to cycle through display options until you find one that shows clearly on your system:
  
  1) Emphasized object keywords currently look like this.
  2) Emphasized topic keywords currently look like this.
  
  **A warning: it may at times be useful to be able to differentiate between the various kinds of keyword.**
  
  Press 0 when you're finished here.
  
  > 0
  Polynesian Character Display Test: *+ LM jk
  
  If the characters above are vowels with horizontal lines over them, your interpreter can properly display the special letters in this story. If not, you will need to change your interpreter's font to one that supports Polynesian characters. If you know your font already supports such characters, you may need to consider switching to an alternative interpreter.
  
  Interpreters known to function correctly with Aotearoa include (but are not limited to):
  
  Gargoyle (the 2009-08-25 build or newer)
  Zoom 1.1.4 or newer
  Filfre 0.987 or newer
  Quixe 1.0.2 or newer (using the CSS provided at
  
  Other browsers based on Glulxe 0.4.4 or newer or Git 1.2.4 or newer should work as well.
  
  Fonts known to render well include (but, again, are not limited to):
  
  Linux Libertine (free for download and recommended if you have it) Georgia
  Palatino Linotype
  Times New Roman
  
  Known issues: The older, 2009-08-25 build of Gargoyle, out of the box, defaults to the Charter BT font, which is known to not support Polynesian characters. This can be fixed by changing the font settings in the garglk.ini configuration file to point to a font (such as one of the ones above) that does support the characters. The newest (2010.1) build of Gargoyle does not have this problem as it uses Linux Libertine by default. And although Filfre supports the proper characters out of the box, it doesn't render them correctly. Regardless of the interpreter you use, you may need to configure it for best appearance.
  
  Welcome to Aotearoa!
  
  Display Test:
  
  *+ LM jk
  
  If no words above were colored or emphasized,
  or if you didn't see the characters as vowels with macrons,
  or if you want to adjust the colors displayed,
  or if you want to see interpreter compatibility information,
  press K now.
  
  Press R to restore an existing story, or a number from 1 to 4 to start a new story...
  
  1) ...with an in-game tutorial for new players, as well as color keyword highlighting in the text.
  2) ...with an in-game tutorial for new players, but no keyword highlighting.
  3) ...with no tutorial, but with color keyword highlighting in the text.
  4) ...with no tutorial and no keyword highlighting.
  
  > 4
  The waka floats in the deep ocean, the sun motionless and searing in the clear sky. Mui, the trickster, casts his fishing line into the depths of the ocean, tied to his magic hook made from a human jawbone. Almost immediately the hook catches, and he pulls up an enormous fish that somehow becomes, as you watch, an entire continent. On that new continent magnificent dinosaurs -- taniwha -- prowl the dark forests. Volcanoes dim the sky with smoke and stain the air with the stench of sulfur, but the land is rich and fertile, and Mui's older brothers
  look on it with greed in their eyes. Mui watches them, deep in
  thought, with a faraway expression you can't read. Then he turns to look directly into your eyes, and says, "You know that some of my brothers cannot be trusted. You must keep them from carving up this great fish until I return from the gods with the proper karakia."
  
  And suddenly he's gone, flying away into the sun in the form of a seabird, and you're left floating in the waka with Mui's brothers as they smile secret half-smiles to each other and reach for their knives, and you wonder what in the world Mui thinks that you, twelve-year-old Tim Cooper, can do to stop them before they carve up and defile...
  
  Difficulty Level: Introductory            Cruelty Level: Polite
  
   Everyone is! You are ready to work?"
  
  Excitement gets the upper hand for now and you grin just a bit -- you can't help it. "I still can't believe I got picked to come! I get to see real dinosaurs? That's so cool!"
  
  Eruera laughs, a startling, wild sound. "You may not think it is quite so 'cool' after picking through dinosaur roka for a few days, Tim."
  
  You cock your head a bit, not quite sure you understood. "Roka"He just looks back at you silently, the friendly grin growing a bit wider.
  
  Oh.
  
  The cutter's hydrofoil brings the ship high out of the water -- high enough that there's very little spray. The wind whips past as the boat glides across the ocean off the coast to port. Thick, deep green bands of forest snake along the coastline to port. The treeline tracks stretches of black sand beach, sharp cliffs of dark volcanic rock, and the occasional salt marsh. The ocean glares as you look at the shore, almost overpoweringly blue.
  
  A dark feather from some sort of seabird flutters in the wind, caught in a small gap in the guardrail.
  
  You hear an incomprehensible yell from the general direction of the bridge. Eruera turns toward it, then closes his eyes for an instant. "I told them to double-check those gaskets," he sighs. "I'd better go help them before we're dead in the water."
  
  He starts to leave, then turns back to you for a moment. "Why don't you head to the bridge? They've got sandwiches in there; I'm sure you're hungry after all your traveling. I'll catch up with you after I sort things out below decks."
  
  Eruera sprints off to aft.
  The Prow
  The cutter's hydrofoil brings the ship high out of the water -- high enough that there's very little spray. The wind whips past as the boat glides across the ocean off the coast to port. Thick, deep green bands of forest snake along the coastline to port. The treeline tracks stretches of black sand beach, sharp cliffs of dark volcanic rock, and the occasional salt marsh. The ocean glares as you look at the shore, almost overpoweringly blue.
  
  A dark feather from some sort of seabird flutters in the wind, caught in a small gap in the guardrail.
  
  > About yourself
  You're a bit taller than average for your age, with dark brown hair and green eyes. Currently you're feeling a bit hungry, a bit thirsty, and very nervously excited about getting to camp and seeing the dinosaurs.
  
  > take the feather
  Taken.
  
  It doesn't seem quite so hot any more.
  
  > examine the feather
  It's a small, grayish feather, possibly from a white-bellied tiko or other seabird.
  
  > check your inventory
  You are carrying:
  a seabird feather
  
  You think you see something large moving on shore -- could it be a dinosaur? You wish your binoculars weren't stowed in your luggage.
  
  > examine the shore
  Which do you mean, the 1) coastline or the 2) beach?
  
  > Coastline
  The coastline is rough and varied. Some areas are relatively flat and at other places the cliffs come right up to the water's edge.
  
  > look at the beach
  The beach is a surprisingly dark black, which you've read is because of millenia of waves pounding against volcanic rock. It glitters with flashes of reflected sunlight as the cutter passes.
  
  > Fore
  It's hard for you to make yourself even approach the guardrails, let alone think of hurling yourself off the speeding ship. Besides, you're this close to finally seeing the dinosaurs!
  
  > Exits
  The only obvious exit is aft.
  
  (Use EXITS ON to enable the status line exit lister and EXITS OFF to turn it off. You may also cycle through the available colors to use for unvisited rooms with the command EXIT COLOR.)
  
  > Aft
  The stern of the cutter is well-organized and uncluttered; all of the stores and supplies are stashed below. The deck and guardrail are painted white, and are almost too bright to focus upon in the sun. A small door leads inside to the bridge, and a rectangular opening in the deck leads down a steep ladder into the hold.
  
  > Go inside
  The cutter's small bridge looks like it also serves as a living room and smoking lounge. The ship's controls are laid out on a cluttered panel to forward, under a wide, grimy window. A low side table stands by the door, food trash surrounding an overflowing, smoldering ashtray. A few chairs are scattered around as well. A door leads outside and a ladder leads down into the crew quarters.
  
  The captain fidgets with his fingers unconsciously.
  
  The captain acknowledges your arrival with a glance and a grunt, then turns back to his instruments. "Help yourself to a sandwich. I think there's one left."
  
  > Examine sandwich
  You look closely at the sandwich and shrug. You can't tell how old it is, or even what it's made of. The bread is brown and it looks edible, at least in theory.
  
  > take it
  Taken.
  
  > eat it
  You decide that you're hungry enough to confront the mystery of the sandwich head-on and take a bite. Surprisingly, it's tasty, and you make short work of the rest of it.
  
  > talk to the captain
  You approach the captain a bit gingerly. "Excuse me, sir?"
  
  "What do you want, tama?"
  
  (You could ask him about himself, the sandwich, Eruera, the coastal cutter, the dinosaurs, or Aotearoa.)
  
  > ask the captain about the sandwich
  "Hey, that was a pretty good sandwich!"
  
  The captain looks at you for a moment and frowns, trying to decide if you expect a response, and if so, what it should be. He finally decides against saying anything and shakes his head as he turns away.
  
  > ask him about Aotearoa
  "Sir," you ask, "what can you tell me about Aotearoa? I've never been here before."
  
  "Well, that's obvious, son." He smiles, then starts talking, gesturing expansively with his hands.
  
  "Aotearoa -- 'The Land of the Long Cloud'! You're just offshore of the closest place to Paradise on the face of the Earth, kid. The one place the British couldn't conquer when they were colonizing the world -- we Mori toa fought them to a standstill and they settled for an alliance as equals."
  
  He laughs as he continues, "Even the giant meteor that killed the dinosaurs all over the world couldn't defeat the taniwha of Aotearoa! All the dinosaurs left in the world live right here." He sweeps his hands to indicate the coastline moving past outside the window, then turns back to the controls.
  
  > ask the captain about dinosaurs
  "Have you ever seen one of the dinosaurs?" you ask.
  
  The captain laughs. "'Have I seen a big one?', of course you mean. The taniwha are not as common as the television documentaries would have you believe, boy. But yes, I've seen several of the horned ones. Even though they are plant-eaters, they are still fearsome."
  
  > ask the captain about Eruera
  "What do you know about Eruera?"
  
  The captain turns to you. "Eruera? I don't know him well, except by reputation. He's supposed to be a quite a toa -- a warrior. Served in the ADF before transferring to the Conservation Service."
  
  > ask him about himself
  (himself)
  "Who are you?" you ask.
  
  The captain responds. "I'm Captain Hunapo, the captain of the ANS Whakamarumaru."
  
  He grins as you try to mouth the name of the ship. "It means 'protector'."
  
  > ask the Captain about the cutter
  "What kind of ship is this?" you ask.
  
  The captain grimaces. "This decrepit old tub is the Whakamarumaru. It's an old hydrofoil design; one of the first they ever made. It's fast and maneuverable, but we have a devil of a time keeping it running."
  
  deck.
  
  > ask the Captain about the cutter
  "So what's wrong with the ship now?"
  
  The captain shakes his head. "Oil leak. A big one. We just overhauled the engine, but one of the gaskets blew out. It might have been bad to start with."
  
  He raises his voice to include the ladder below, if they can hear him over the sound of clanking tools and Mori curse words. "More likely, one of those mhunga wai screwed it up when they installed it!"
  
  > ask the Captain about Aotearoa
  "Is there anything else you can tell me about Aotearoa? I'm really interested in the..."
  
  He cuts you off with a jerk of his hand. "The taniwha, I know. You don't have to be a mind-reader to see that. I already gave you the basics. Aotearoa isn't someplace you can be told about. If you want to know more you'll find out for yourself in about an hour."
  
  Something seems to bother the captain. He peers more closely at a control on the console, then mutters darkly to himself.
  
  > look at the controls
  The controls are labeled with unfamiliar abbreviations; you can't figure them out.
  
  The captain checks the controls, then gives a grunt of apparent satisfaction.
  
  > ask the Captain about the cutter
  "Anything else about the ship?"
  
  "What do you want, the technical manuals? You looking to take my job? This tub will get you to the campsite in another hour -- that's all you need to know!"
  
  > ask him about the crewmen
  You start to speak, but the captain doesn't seem to be interested.
  
  "Yes yes," he says brusquely. "I don't have time to discuss that right now."
  
  (You could ask him about himself, the sandwich, Eruera, the coastal cutter, the dinosaurs, or Aotearoa.)
  
  Something seems to bother the captain. He peers more closely at a control on the console, then mutters darkly to himself.
  
  > ask him about the sandwich
  The captain's look of only partially suppressed exasperation makes you think that asking him about the sandwich yet again isn't a particularly good idea.
  
  The captain checks the controls, then gives a grunt of apparent satisfaction.
  
  > exit
  As you turn away, the captain shakes his head, mutters something you can't understand, and turns back to the controls.
  
  The stern of the cutter is well-organized and uncluttered; all of the stores and supplies are stashed below. The deck and guardrail are painted white, and are almost too bright to focus upon in the sun. A small door leads inside to the bridge, and a rectangular opening in the deck leads down a steep ladder into the hold.
  
  You notice clouds gathering as you leave the bridge -- maybe there's a storm coming. As you take a few steps out onto the stern deck, you hear shouts from behind you. Almost immediately, the captain yells as well, calling you back. "Hey, you... Kid! Whatever your name was... Come back here! I've got a job for you."
  
  It doesn't seem quite so hot any more.
  
  > enter
  The cutter's small bridge looks like it also serves as a living room and smoking lounge. The ship's controls are laid out on a cluttered panel to forward, under a wide, grimy window. A low side table stands by the door, food trash surrounding an overflowing, smoldering ashtray. A few chairs are scattered around as well. A door leads outside and a ladder leads down into the crew quarters.
  
  The captain paces impatiently.
  
  The captain half-turns towards you. "You! Make yourself useful and grab the hyperbolic torsion spanner from the hold. Those mhunga wai down there forgot it."
  
  > Exits
  The obvious exits are down and outside.
  
  > ask the Captain about the spanner
  The captain looks up as you approach. He folds his arms and glowers at you. "I'll talk to you after you bring me the hyperbolic torsion spanner like I asked you. Not before."
  
  > look at the radar
  The radar unit is a screen with some unlabeled controls underneath. Green lines indicate the position of the shore. If there were other ships nearby you'd assume that they would also appear, but there don't seem to be any at the moment.
  
  Something seems to bother the captain. He peers more closely at a control on the console, then mutters darkly to himself.
  
  > go outside
  The stern of the cutter is well-organized and uncluttered; all of the stores and supplies are stashed below. The deck and guardrail are painted white, gleaming in the alternating patches of sun and shade as the cutter passes under the gathering clouds. A small door leads inside to the bridge, and a rectangular opening in the deck leads down a steep ladder into the hold.