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!

[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.