New Zealand recommendations please!

[WingingWonder]

Looking to be In nz at Christmas as a family
North island
Will be as a family
Looking at coramandel and rotarua and then Napier to see friends but have about 4 days spare- welcome suggestions or kids focussed stuff!! Thanks

Glow worm caves?
Hobbiton?
lovely redwood forest just outside Rotorua

Depending how old your kids are there is so much to see in Rotorua. You could easily spend 4 or 5 days there.
Lake Taupo also lovely and kind of on the way to Napier. (The Faraday museum is fun for kids in Napier) Don’t miss the luge at the top of the skyline gondola in Rotorua- so much fun!
If you haven’t book accomodation you need to get onto it. All the touristy/beachy places are very popular with locals and international visitors and places fill early.

Maybe a farm stay somewhere - lots of NZ is pretty rural.
You’ll find lots of good advice on TripAdvisor.

I happen to be quite well informed about this topic [ahem]. 4 days in Summer spare? Spend your time on the Western side of the Coromandel Peninsula in one place, hang at the beach. It’ll be busy but it’s not as busy as Europe even in peak season. Rent a beach house (Bach) if you can; you are very late to book but you might get lucky. Look at Little Bay near Waikawau, Cooks Beach, Hahei, Tairua. These places are where locals go.

Ohope Beach is another option

Hot Water Beach
Hobbiton
Glow Worm Caves
Lake Taupo

New Plymouth is also very lovely and not too touristy.

I second Ohope, good add on to your existing itinerary.

Thanks all! Loads of fab suggestions.
Have decided to head to oz and do NZ as a bolt on so we don’t have as much time this trip but will log these for Easter when we hope to be back!

Rotorua Smells of rotting eggs.
Whale watching
Head north from there and there is a seal colony
Albertros watching
Little blue penguin watching
Waikiki island is lovely.
Milford sound for the waterfalls
Glow worms
We got lost and found a taxidermist he had some fun stuffer animals
Hobbit place
Buy onions they were super cheap over there.