Originally Posted by
calbear2005
Right now, I'm thinking.....
5/10 - Leave Auckland for Rotorua early; overnight in Rotorua
5/11 - Rotorua for Tauranga; overnight in Tauranga
5/12 - Tauranga back to Auckland near AKL; overnight in Auckland, so I can spend a little more time during the day in Tauranga and not have to rush to the airport
5/13 - Catch the earliest AKL-ZQN flight
5/13-5/24 - Explore the western coast of the South Island
OK. Sounds OK. IT will take more time to drive to places than you think.
Mt Maunganui has a little more to offer than Tauranga.
(Note people who live in Mt Maunganui get offended if you imply they live in Txxxx

)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tauranga
The coastal region is interesting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Plenty
Also be aware the date convention is this part of the world is dd/mm. 5/10 is 5th October.