Love him or hate him, Shane Jones' departure from Labour is going to hurt the party.

So there we were. Me, Mrs P, a couple of little kids on bikes and a smattering of our neighbours, some with dogs, trying hard not to stare at the scene unfolding before us.

Looking at the list of marathons worldwide, Rotorua's circumnavigation of the lake ranks among the 50 longest running marathon races.

As the official welcomes began at Wednesday night's Supper Club, a buzz of chatter continued around the room.