SunLive weather is brought to you today by the Bay of Plenty Garden and Art Festival which started yesterday and runs through to Sunday. This morning's mystery garden is located in Te Puke.

In today's weather forecast we are expecting a fine day with easterly breezes.

It's a two-clothing layer day today with a high of 20 and an overnight low of 12 degrees. Humidity is 90 per cent.

High tide is at 2pm and low tide at 8.20pm (Tay St). There's a sea swell of 0.9m and sea temperature is 17 degrees. Sunset tonight is at 8.01pm.

If you're going fishing the next best fish bite time is between 7 and 9pm.

On this day in NZ history in 1840 New Zealand officially became a British colony. New Zealand became a separate colony of the United Kingdom. North, South and Stewart islands were to be known respectively as the provinces of New Ulster, New Munster and New Leinster.

In 1869 Hamiora Pere was executed for treason. Hamiora Pere was hanged at the Terrace Gaol, Wellington. He is the only New Zealander to have been executed after being convicted of treason.

In 1916 the first conscription ballot was conducted. The Military Service Act passed on 1 August 1916 had made all healthy New Zealand men of military age (20 to 45) liable for active service overseas.

In world history on this day in 1902 a cartoon appeared in the Washington Star, prompting the Teddy Bear Craze, after President Teddy Roosevelt refused to kill a captive bear tied up for him to shoot during a hunting trip to Mississippi.

In 1945 eighty-eight German scientists, holding Nazi secrets, arrived in the United States.

In 1982 the space shuttle Columbia completed its first operational flight.

In 1992 Eric Lawes, while using a metal detector to search for a friend's lost hammer near Hoxne, Suffolk, England, discovered the Hoxne Hoard, the largest hoard of Roman silver and gold ever found in Britain, and the largest collection of 4th and 5th century coins found anywhere within the bounds of the former Roman Empire.

Today is the birthday of Tiberius Claudius Nero, Roman Emperor. Born in 42 BC, he once said 'In a free state there should be freedom of speech and thought.”

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

SunLive weather is brought to you today by the Bay of Plenty Garden and Art Festival, and features one of the 70 beautiful gardens on the Garden and Art Trail.

Festival trail opening times: 9.30am– 5pm Thursday November 15 to Saturday November 17; 9.30am - 3pm Sunday November 18.

Bloom in the Bay (Tauranga Historic Village) opening times: 9am - 9.30pm Thursday November 15 to Sunday November 18.

To find out more go to the Garden and Art Festival website.

Have a great day!