The weather went bad during the night at Waihi. Got wet just paying the motel bill. Too wet for Karangahake Gorge as planned, we drove on to Whakatane in torrential rain. Too wet and rough there for the hoped-for trip out to White Island. Spent some time in the somewhat gloomy local museum, where I was told politely that I wasn't allowed to take pictures, after I'd taken some. Some pictures taken in the rain with my waterproof camera make Whakatane look quiet and peaceful rather than wet and windy.

Note: In Maori place-names /wh/ resembles /f/ and /a/ is like an Italian /a/. So when the nice lady at the motel asked me where we were going, I hesitated before looking her in the eye and saying "Whakatane".