The current version of the Java driver only accepts java.util.Date for reading and writing Dates.
Unfortunately the API of java.util.Date is broken, and so is the performance impact of creating Dates.
Most projects use for that reason joda time, or since recently JSR 310.

While you could work with them already now, it would always require the creation of temporary java.util.Date objects, either bei the driver when reading, or by the developer when writing.

The driver should be configurable that joda-time or JSR 310 is directly used. Or that as a Developer I can at least provide a converter to do so (and especially avoid java.util.Date inbetween)