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

[Lenny]

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

- Personally, don't do both. You wouldn't be doing yourself any favours. It'll still be there in a few years time - do the other island some other time. It's just too much travelling otherwise. If you like the snow, you could do the South Island in winter. Beautiful.

* 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?

There is actually a really awesome thermal area around Taupo too. That whole area. Yep, Rotorua is where all the bus loads of (mostly Japanese) tourists go, but you can spend a day at Orakei Korako and avoid too much commercialism. Mercury Bay is AKA Hot Water Beach. You can dig a hole in the sand and it fills with warm water. Fun. You can do this in places around Lake Taupo too.

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

Napier has beautiful wineries too (The Mission), but the South Island is probably far more famous and beautiful. Napier was flattened by an earthquake in the early 30's and rebuilt in the art deco style of the time. Quite nice if you like that sort of thing. There are nice but smaller wineries in the Wairarapa too. (Near-ish to Wellington)

* 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?

Actually we are spending 2 weeks in the Bay of Islands in March. Can't wait!

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

Give Auckland a miss. Give Wellington a miss too, really. But Wellington is much easier to get around. Windy, and the beaches are rubbish.

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.

I think i'd give Chch a miss, just because it would be a shame to visit there and find that lots of the beauty is spoiled by the rebuilding process etc.
I'm not spruiking the North Island. Just answering your questions.

Confused?!