been playing through mario sunshine for the first time and loving it, however I seem to have hit a wall. I have completed all 8 episodes in:

Bianco hills
Hotel Delfino
Pinna Park
Ricco harbor
Noki Bay
Gelato Beach
and received a few shines from around delfino plaza

all in all I have 60 shines but dont have any direction as to what I should be doing next

I originally had 47 or so and thought "if i get 50 shines something will happen and a new level will unlock", but it didn't. so i looked everywhere for blue coins and secret shines to get myself to 60, but again no new levels have unlocked.

bah! please help How many shines do I need to get before new levels unlock? I don't mind hunting for more blue coins but I'd like to know what I should be working towards. Or maybe I have to do something else to proceed to the next stage?

im got 101 shine sprites and gave up getting the rest, have you found yoshi yet? have you unlocked the different nozzles yet?

blast to the top of the shine gate and enter the pipe.

once you complete all episode 7 shines something good will happen.

i'm not telling what or I'll spoil it.

I have about 45, but I only have about 2 shines in I think Noki Bay and none yet in Hotel Delfino or the level on top of the star gate. Haven't had too much time to play. This game is definately harder than Mario 64. I'll probably stop at about 80 until I beat MP1 and 2, RE4, and Eternal Darkness. Not to mention Windwaker. So much to catch up on hehe. It's kind of cool waiting for a system's lifetime to end. You know exactly which games you want to buy and they're all cheap. I still haven't finished Twilight Princess hehe.

What Nfanboy said... you need to go to Pianta Village.