Oh wretched! I’ll stop you right now. Australia and New Zealand are not at all the same, you have to stop putting everything in the same bag please, and I tell you that with all the courtesy in the world. It’s not because it’s almost in the same place on your terrestrial globe that it’s the same thing. There are many differences, ranging from small subtlety to big upheaval. From trivial things to something a little more imposing. Come on Dora, we’re ready for Oceania.
1. The two countries have totally different territories
Table of Contents
Australia is a big piece of land, while New Zealand is a collection of two big islands with lots of smaller islands. In terms of area, we are also sure of the good difference: 268,021 km² for the archipelago, 7.692 million km² for the big Australian island. In terms of landscapes, to simplify things as much as possible, we have a lot of deserts on one side, and a lot of variety on the other with forests, fjords, green mountains, etc. So ok we are in the same corner of the world but we are not on a big resemblance in terms of territories. You can draw whatever conclusions you want.
2. To each their own emblematic animal
In Australia, we know it well, it’s the kangaroo that serves as a mascot, in particular because it’s a little bit his ter-ter. Among the neighbors, it is the kiwi, a bird the size of a hen which is much less classy. We do with what we have. Note that New Zealand also has a little love affair with sheep, which are about 10 times more numerous than the number of inhabitants.
3. Their flags don’t have the same stars
Both have a blue background with the Union Jack flag (that of the United Kingdom). Both also have the Southern Cross depicted, this is a constellation that can only be observed in the Southern Hemisphere. On the other hand, the New Zealand flag has only 4 stars of the constellation inscribed, in red (color of power among the Maoris), where Australia has the 5 in white, plus one on the side of which the branches represent its states. It’s crazy what you can find on these flags.
4. One of the greatest trilogies of all time was filmed in New Zealand, not Australia.
The Lord of the Rings, of course. Which means that in the land of the kiwis there is a hobbit village that you can visit, as well as the enormous Weta studios in the city of Wellington. Australia still has some cool stuff like Mad Max, but the last one was mostly shot in the Namibian desert, which was a bit polluted, and that’s not great at all.
5. Everyone has their own spread
New Zealand has Mamite, Australia has Vegemite. Both are made with brewer’s yeast, and the general feeling that comes from being a foreigner is that it’s disgusting. That doesn’t stop them from developing a rivalry over who will have the coolest dough. It’s the dumbest rivalry we’ve ever seen.
6. Australia is a hotbed of rock (and other cool stuff)
The game is totally unbalanced. To name a few, AC/DC, Jet, Wolfmother, John Butler Trio, Architecture In Helsinki, Tame Impala, INXS and many more come from the land of kangaroos. Among their rivals, we still have some planetary successes like Lorde, Crowded House or The Datsuns, but we must admit that it is a little less dreamy. If you want to tell me that I forgot a lot in the comments, I invite you to do so, but only in ch’ti.
7. Maori on one side, Aborigines on the other
The Maori are the natives of New Zealand, their name designates human beings, mortals, unlike the gods. On the Australian side, we have the Aborigines, whose name refers to those who were there originally. “I was there before you, filthy colonist. We can translate it a bit like that.
8. Their emblematic monuments have nothing to do with
On one side, the Sky Tower of Auckland, a tower 328 meters high. On the other, the Sydney Opera House, something I can’t describe because architecture isn’t my forte. We will say that it looks like hulls or sails of boats next to each other, there must surely be a little maritime inspiration. I invite you to refer to this photo, because 1 photo = 1000 words according to the best communicators on the planet.
9. Each country has its dollar, so no jealousy
The Australian dollar is worth 0.74590 US dollars and 0.68352 euros. The New Zealand dollar is worth 0.92569 Australian dollars, or 0.69052 US dollars or 0.63272 euros. I know you haven’t read everything, and that you wouldn’t be able to give me those numbers again if I asked you for them in two days. But it takes more to upset me. Anyway, now we all know that these currencies exist and that it’s still a lot of decimal places. Money is really complicated.
10. Their football teams don’t play in the same confederation
Basically, New Zealand is a member of OFC, the Oceania Football Confederation, while Australia is a member of AFC, the Asian Football Confederation, despite the fact that it found well in Oceania. It’s a little more complicated than that, but to caricature, it’s a bit as if Spain did not play the Euro football but the African Cup of Nations. You said it, yeah, it’s kinda weird.