In today's weather forecast we are expecting morning rain then showers. They will be heavy at times, with possible thunderstorms. Fresh northerlies will be easing.

It's a one-clothing layer day today with a high of 23 and an overnight low of 17 degrees. Humidity is 95 per cent.

High tide is at 9.30am and low tide at 3.40pm(Tay St). There's a sea swell of 0.8m and sea temperature is 20 degrees. Sunset tonight is at 8.34pm.

If you're going fishing the next best fish bite time is between 8 and 11pm.

On this day in NZ history in 1814 the first Christian mission was established. At Hohi (Oihi) Beach in the Bay of Islands, Samuel Marsden preached in English to a largely Māori gathering, launching New Zealand's first Christian mission.

In 1894 was the first ascent of Mt Cook. At 1.30pm on the afternoon of Christmas Day 1894, three young men became the first to stand atop Aoraki/Mt Cook, the highest mountain in the colony.

On this day in world history in 1AD is the traditionally reckoned year of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, with AD counting years from the start of this epoch and BC - 'Before Christ' - denoting years before the start of the era. There is no year zero in this scheme, so the year AD 1 immediately follows the year 1 BC.

1621 the governor of New Plymouth prevented newcomers from playing cards. In 1651 the General Court of Boston levied a five shilling fine on anyone caught 'observing any such day as Christmas.”

In 1914 German and British troops on the Western Front declared an unofficial truce to celebrate Christmas during World War I. In 1944 Prime Minister Winston Churchill went to Athens to seek an end to the Greek civil war.

In 1973 U.S. astronauts onboard the Skylab space station took a seven-hour walk in space and photographed the comet Kohoutek.

In 1979 Egypt began a major restoration of the Sphinx. In 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union's first and last executive president, resigned. The Soviet Union no longer existed.

Today is the birthday of Sir Isaac Newton, English mathematician and scientist who enunciated the laws of motion and the law of gravity. Born in 1642 he once said 'To myself I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me.”

To get involved in activities around the Bay of Plenty, please check out our What's on page.

Have a very merry Christmas!