Dear (geographically-challenged) Australians

[trixtah]

Despite the popular propaganda, most of NZ is not any further south than Australia is. Auckland (36°52S) is half a degree south of Canberra (35°18S), and 1½ degrees south of Sydney (34°S).

Wellington (41°17S) is 3½ degrees south of Melbourne (37°47S). Christchurch (43°31S) is not even a degree south of Hobart (42°54S). At 42 degrees, the length of a degree is 111km. Auckland is merely around 166km south of Sydney. ¾ of the country is thus in the same lats as the bottom half of Australia.

In other words, most of the people in NZ live in pretty much the same latitudes as most of the people in Australia. It is a bit colder in NZ over all, since it's surrounded by sea and is more mountainous. But it's not that cold.

(PS. I know plenty of Aussies who aren't so clueless - the ones on my flist, for example - but it amazes me to hear the same crap from people who should know better).

Comments

[goatsfoot.livejournal.com]

:) It was so weird for me in the South Island, seeing a gigantic white glacier rising above the lush rainforest foliage.

What is still a bit bizarre though, is seeing NZ grown mangoes in Darwin (which is surrounded by extensive mango groves as well as mangroves). I guess you can still grow mangoes in a (relatively) temperate climate!

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Heh, I was amazed by the glaciers sitting right by the lush bush as well in the South Island. Just fantastic.

As for the mangroves, apparently 150 or so kms south of Auckland is their maximum extent - it's still officially "subtropical" that far down the island. The tallest ones I've seen are in the Hokianga Harbour north of Auckland - about 3 or 4 metres high. The ones in the north of Oz blow them away in terms of height!

[goatsfoot.livejournal.com]

I only got to visit the South Island + Wellington, I'd love to visit the North Island properly next time.

I loved the isolated beaches on the north west coast of the South Island, we stayed in a guesthouse that was a house to ourselves rising above the palmy forest. Gorgeous bird sounds. I wanted to move there, I was amazed at how undeveloped it was. Mind you, after a couple of dozen sandfly bites, I was reconsidering :P

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

North Island is groovy, in a different way. More podocarp forests, rather than beeches. And way more hot pools, geysers and boiling mud! :-)

That holiday of yours sounds fab. If I get stinking rich one day, I'd like to have a place near Nelson (where my ancestors originally settled in the 1840s) or the Marlborough Sounds/Picton, and then commute to Wgtn occasionally for civilisation. :-D

[ruth-lawrence.livejournal.com]

Have you noticed how very little of NZ is reported here, though?

I think I heard it mentioned once in a school course, too.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, re paucity of reportage, although there's a reasonable amount in the SMH, I find (probably due to the number of kiwis in Sydney). But it's not as if there are many Australians who don't know a NZer. Of course, there are hardly any middle-class kiwis over 30 who haven't visited Oz. I would put the number of similar Aussies I've met who've travelled the other way at less than 20%.

I also have heard about 10x the amount of jokes about kiwis here than I ever did about Aussies back home. Interesting, that.

[ruth-lawrence.livejournal.com]

I didn't hear many of those jokes until recently, in truth...but then I tend to drift off if there are any ethnic jokes at all.

There are many Polynesians in my actual area, most of whom ore from NZ (Aotearoa, I know).

One of my brothers lives in Wellington, and the other is over there visiting now.

[goatsfoot.livejournal.com]

When I was in NZ I was really struck by the amount of Oz related news. And pleased at the really quite good and frank and critical reporting of Australia's treatment of refugees and indigenous people - so frank it would be only the domain of 'extreme' left reporting in Australia.

I also found being occasionally mistaken for a Kiwi amusing - once in a pub when I asked what the beers were - the guy was bemused until I said I was Australian!