I hold the glass and look at its contents suspiciously. “What’s this?”

“Margarita.”

“No, thanks. I’m not really much of a drinker.”

“You can have one, surely.” Sophie says. “They’re so refreshing.”

I take a sip. She’s right. I taste lime and the unmistakable aftertaste of alcohol that immediately gives me a warm glow. It’s the kind of drink that goes down too easily, so I resolve to drink it slowly and make it last. Nadia is deep in conversation with a gray-haired man in a suit and acknowledges my presence with a curt nod, before resuming her conversation.

“No James?” I ask as nonchalantly as I can, taking another sip.

“He’s over there.” Kelly downs the rest of her drink in one and points with her empty glass. She and Sophie are giddy with the excitement that only a night in a hotel with a bar on a work expense account can bring, and it makes me wistful. She picks up the drinks menu. “Which one shall we try now?” I back away slowly, leaving them tossing up their choices, and wander across the lawn that slopes gently down toward the shore of the lake. James is standing a meter or so back, staring out across the water. I pause for a moment, unsure whether to intrude or leave him to his thoughts, but then he senses my presence and turns.

“Evening.” His face softens into a smile.

“Care for some company? Or would you rather be alone?”

“I spend far too much time alone. Some company would be very welcome.”

I walk to stand beside him. The lake smells earthy, very different from the sea that I am used to. Small mosquitoes hover above the surface. Behind the lake, the volcanic mountain Tarawera looms intimidatingly against the pale sky. Although it has been dormant for quite some time, it hasn’t lost any of its menace and I shiver under its shadow.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” James says quietly. “Nature. I’m constantly in awe of it.”

“It’s kind of spooky,” I admit.

“Spooky?”

“Yeah, you know. Thinking about all the death and destruction it caused when it blew up and obliterated everything in its path. Those natural pink and white terraces that used to be in the lake looked amazing. I’d have loved to swim in them. Such a waste that they were destroyed in the eruption.”

“That’s nature for you. Unpredictable. Did you know that some say they’re still there, the terraces, just buried in the bottom of the lake under mud and ash?”

“No, I didn’t, but I hope that’s the case. Better that than they were completely destroyed.”

“There’s an amazing walk you can take up the mountain, quite breathtaking scenery and view for miles. And once at the top, you can run down into the crater. It’s a little scary because it’s loose scoria rock, so one wrong step and you’ll end up rolling down and losing some skin in the process. But that’s half the fun.”