Things to do in Taranaki and Hawkes Bay

The Aquarium in Napier is worth a visit. Cape Kidnappers along the beach, Te Mata peak you can drive up. If you have kids Splash Planet is the place to go. Farmers markets every Sunday either in Hastings or Black Rock Vineyards they do yummie cheese too. Views from Bluff Hill, wandering around the art deco buildings, mini golf along marine parade.

New Plymouth - any of the beaches are great favs are Fitzroy and Oakura.

Taranaki has the festival of the lights every year during summer but you've got that... Also the place where you go for the festival of lights is pretty cool to go to during the day, esp for a picnic and you can hire row boats to go in their pond/lake thingy...

You could also take a drive to Waitomo (it's 2 hours south of Auckland so a bit of a drive from Taranaki) but there is the glow worm cave there which is kinda cool... remember going there as a kid took a whole day to do it (drive there, look around+lunch, drive back).

I'm a Naki girl (whos living in Hastings funnily enough)
Anyway if you like nature and scenery taking a drive up the mountain either the north side (from NP) or up from Kaponga in the south you can get beautiful views
From the south side its a 5 min walk (easy walk few steps but nothing in the least strenuous) to go see Dawsons Falls and well worth it.
Otherwise pack a picnic and plan a day out and go round the mountain, visit the west coast beaches on the way, theres quite a few beautiful wilder and rugged beaches and walks that aren't well known. Or head to Opunake Beach which also has a dairy for icecream and a gentle(r) beach which has lifeguards and flags for swimming.

Otherwise Tawhiti Museum down south out of Hawera is, well its not ur typical museum and it has a train ride and is very interesting.
Also if you're interesting in the dairy industry/history visit the fonterra cafe just south of Hawera on the main road (It's a cafe too).
And the Water Tower in Hawera is only if your keen for steps (lots of em) followed by a view (its gold coin donation ask at the information centre)
Thats it for now sorry for the novel but my beautiful South Taranaki seemed a bit under represented lol.

I Hawke's Bay!

The others have covered off a lot of the stuff I would have recommended, but I would definitely 2nd the Te Mata Peak, Waimarama beach, farmer's market and the vineyards.

We went to Splash Planet a couple of years ago (pre-DS) with some friends and their kids for the day. I was super-dubious about it (especially since there were queues out the gate when we arrived) but we ended up having a GREAT day there! (And I'm really not normally into those kind of places at all)

Some other ideas: The Gannet Colony at Cape Kidnappers is pretty amazing - we went on a tour with this company who were great.

You should also check out Possum World on Marine Parade for a laugh! It's really weird, but pretty funny.

Would also highly reccommend the Ocean Spa in Napier - one of the nicest, cleanest public hot pools I've been to.

If you're interested in the architecture, you can do a walking tour with these guys - I found it surprisingly interesting. There are also some really cool 2nd hand / vintage shops worth rummaging through.

And IMHO Hastings New World is one of the best supermarkets in the country if you're into good food and wine! (Oh, sorry, maybe not the wine - just noticed your ticker!)

For more ideas you could have a look HERE

And HERE for Taranaki.

TARANAKI

someone mentioned Opunake being a gentle beach - but its got alot of rips and so I wouldn't call it that - although very nice to go there.

As for the moutain - Stratford side takes you up to the mountain house and platoe (sp) and you also get to the dawson falls side from the other side of Stratford - and walkies pools are up that side too - but depends on how fit you are as i see you are pregnant.

You can go on a charter in NP and go see seal rock or do fishing.

It all depends what you want out of a holiday?

If you are here over New years - Stratford have new years eve races - really nice day out (we always go) free to get in etc...

On new years day Oakura has their beach day (although costs I think like $10 per adult so haven't been for ages) fistroy also has a beach day early Jan but not sure of the day.

The feelers are playing at Bulters reef new year eve which is in Oakura.

I think Kalimirella covered south taranaki - ther eis also the patea damn but not sure whats there now as it was when i was at high school that I went on a boat ride down to it.

HAWKES BAY

as mentioned the aquarium is good - so is splash planet.

A wine tour might not interest you with being pregnant once again.

I am sure there would be a few lovely drives and look outs etc.. there.

Lisa - they run from 19th December to 7th February, so they'll be running when you're here

I know nothing about the Hawkes Bay but DP is from NP so we visit reasonably reguarly I also loved the rhodendrum at Pukeiti and taking the boat from chaddy charters out to the sugarloaf island where they had seals!

I'm also in New Plymouth over New Years...