re: Two weeks in Australia / NZ next summer

I'd agree that getting out and travelling through New Zealand should be a priority, but I'd rather spend time in Melbourne than Auckland or Wellington (without considerations given to travel time/ease) - and I'd prefer Sydney over Melbourne. Just my opinion, but I say that having travelled to plenty places and with New Zealand being one of our favorite destinations, if not the favorite.

Most interesting thing we found in Auckland was a day trip to Waiheke island, which was worth it but may not be ideal depending on your daughter's age because of the wine focus. Wellington had a nice museum, but we did not spend much time there because other areas were higher priority.