NZ for 12 days with 2 tots - Nth or Sth island?

[thepixie]

South Island all the way... it's absolutely gorgeous, so many things to see and do and not much travel time in between. Camper is a great way to see it

[AndiE]

Ya know what - you ladies are confusing me even MORE about which island to see Lenny, I'm not sure if you would fit in my suitcase - I have a bad habit of packing more than I need. You could try though - hee hee.

OK, if we did both islands, I need to know what is a must see, and what I can miss.

Can anyone shed some light ...

* Am I right in thinking Rotorua is THE place to go to experience and learn about Maori culture plus see a concentrated number of hot springs/mud pools etc? So we SHOULD go to Rotorua, right? Is there some other location where there's a great Maori cultural centre etc for visitors? Ditto, is there another place where we can experience what you get at Rotorua?

* Wineries - Napier or top of South Island? Where are the better wineries for tasting/scenery/etc

* Bay of Islands - really just a hole in a rock, right (er, don't mean to sound trite for those Kiwis who may read this). Something we could miss?

* An expat Kiwi told me Auckland is very ho-hum. Wellington is far more interesting. Can we give Auckland a miss?

I hear you gals about the Christchurch earthquake, but am happy to still go there. NZ is a volcanic island, isn't it. These rumbles are to be expected - just hopefully we're not in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Thanks for the help, again.
Andie

[LimeSlice]

wineries - Marlborough sth island and up north around Nelson etc
Rotorua I have never been too but all told by kiwis and tourists it isn't that great.
Stick to one island you only have 12 days.
Auckland sucks - you may as well go to Sydney... it is just smaller and less interesting lol
Wellington is lovely but again you don't want to be spending too much time in a city like that - they are just cities like here but much smaller.... The best of NZ is outside the cities for sure.

Sorry for the dotpoints I am only phone still lol