Up earlier than usual but still get caught by our B&B host. They are fantastic people – but very talkative! Pack and get picked up at 10am by our car rental company. Make our way out first to Peter & Ursula’s shop & home to borrow their sat nav. Ursula’s Asian food importers is larger than I expected and she has a couple of staff. Peter is working the print machines in the basement. After a slightly hairy misdirection by the sat nav we make our way out onto Highway 1 and then 2 and drive to Mt Manganui. Everyone told us what a beautiful place this is but we feel slightly disappointed. You have to drive through an ugly industrial site to get there and then the high street, although pretty, and crammed with restaurants, feels very much more touristy than the other seaside places we’ve been to. Do have a fantastic kebab though in a “mediterranean” restaurant complete with mediterranean music to make us feel at home. Drive on to Whaketane and arrive around 5pm. Our motel room is fine – not luxurious like John & Susan’s place – but clean and bright – and we have a lovely view of the mountain behind us. Have dinner in a local restaurant (lovely steak) – it’s a holiday tomorrow – Waitangi day when the peace treaty between the Maori and the English people was signed. It seems a slightly uncomfortable holiday – we saw a newsreel of some maori people attacking the prime minister, but generally speaking people seem relaxed (although boozy) and having a good time. Tired tonight (despite not doing anything physical all day) and can’t be bothered to sort out the pictures.