muller.enterprises.co.nz-measures distances again

I have done something similar before:

www.mullerenterprisesconz-measures-distances.html

It is time to revisit the distances and put it in some sort of practical context our northern folks can come to grips with!!

We tend to under-estimate how LONG New Zealand really is.


Google map tells us that to drive from Bluff in the deep south to the Cape Reinga  in the far north you will cover 2081km and drive for 28 hours - urm - non-stop, no toilet break, no sightseeing, no souvenir shopping etc.  (and I am not sure if that includes the distance / time spent on the ferry to get from the south to the north Island!!!)

That is the same distance it is from Christchurch (in a direct line of flight) to Sydney - by 50km short - urm - you might have to swim the last 50 km!
 
 
If I leave Salzburg and head south - I would have to go almost all the way to Ankara (2213km)

If you leave Hamburg you be almost in Madrid ( 2172km)



The shortest and most direct route from Salzburg to Stockholm (where my Uncle lives) is 1775km (or 1892km)
and I remember this trip well, as I am sure, are several of my relatives, who made the same trip at different times!!

For our USA folks  --  If you were to leave New York in the States you could travel equivalent distance to Miami or Kansas city!
wohoooo




All the while New Zealand is a narrow country - very similar to Italy.  The furtherest you would have to go, in order to meet the Ocean is 119.44km!!!!
Same (or less??) distance as Salzburg to Linz in Austria!
The location of that point surprised me - I was thinking somewhere around Taupo - rather it is in the South Island.  *grins* - of course - good ol' South Island

www.revealed-new-zealands-furthest-inland-point

Snipped txt --> 
The position of the "unofficial most inland point" is S4500.340', E16922.245', 119.44km from the Tasman Sea at Milford Sound and 119.44km from the Pacific Ocean, near Hampden.  It is 1km south of Castle Rock and 7km north of Leaning Rock on the Dunstan Range, on the property of Northburn Station owner Tim Pinckney.
"Nowhere else in New Zealand is a piece of land so far from a coast. Unfortunately, this point is at a very inaccessible part of the country," Mr Brown said. The point was about 1500m above sea level and provided spectacular views to Lake Hawea and Alexandra, but was an all-day tramp or a rugged ride in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, he said. Although there were nearby tracks and a conservation area, Mr Brown said it was best for any visitors to check with both farmers to make sure they were not going to disrupt farming operations.
For a large part of the year, the terrain would be virtually impassible, he said. "You would have to be outdoors equipped. It is not a casual afternoon's drive."

This of course does not take into account several Islands of shore!!
The northernmost point is often thought to be Cape Reinga, but this is instead the northwesternmost point. Similarly, Bluff is often considered to be the southernmost point of the South Island, although The Bluff itself (the promontory which gives the town its name) is actually fractionally further north than Slope Point. The phrase "From Cape Reinga to The Bluff" is, however, frequently used within New Zealand to refer to the whole country, ignoring both Slope Point and some offshore islands.   www.List_of_extreme_points_of_New_Zealand


 Anyhow - our son just started a 5 year stint in the UK and mamabear wanted to know the latitude compared to and with New Zealand, so - I paper-copied the shape of NZ and marked the 45th Latitude line and then tried to place it appropriately on the same map on Europe.

SURPRISE

Yeah - surprise all-right
Stewart Island would be bang on the Austrian City of Graz and it goes south (urm - closer to the Equator) from there!!
Hope he will enjoy the LONGER summer nights!!
Also he likes the cold - so he is in a good place for the northern winters. 
I noted too that Cape Reinga is almost on the Tripoli coast.  If you flick the NZ image round  - the South Island covers almost all of Italy and our North Island covers the Entire Ionian Sea! 
Now as to the weather pattern being similar - that is an entire different ball game . . . . . .

Anyhow - this was a fun stat exercise!! Back to the mundane housework




Have fun!