Is New Zealand Part of 'Down Under'?

The short answer is 'Yeah Kinda.' New Zealand is often referred to as part of the Down Under, although it is a bit more nuanced than that. It is definitely more down under than Australia, but unlike its neighbor, it does not officially use this term to describe itself.

What is 'Down Under'?

When American television shows a world map, they often leave New Zealand off of it. We are so far down under that we don’t even exist in their maps, it would seem. For northern hemisphere natives, New Zealand is indeed considered 'Down Under.' However, for those who live there, it is not called 'Down Under' but rather 'Up Over.' This is because the Southern Hemisphere’s viewpoint is opposite of the Northern Hemisphere's.

The Historical Context

New Zealand, while more down under than Australia, does not like being treated as part of Australia. Hence, we have our own nickname: Godzone. Even the Aussies tried to steal it from us! This nickname highlights our distinct identity and our desire to be recognized as a unique nation.

Travelling Through the Antipodes

When I was a child in Scotland during the 1950s, we believed that if we dug a hole through the Earth, we would emerge in Australia. In reality, any such hole would emerge in the Southern Ocean near the Antipodes Islands. From there, if you travel northwest, you come to New Zealand. However, the distance from New Zealand to the east coast of Australia is roughly the same as from the UK to Russia. This suggests that, geographically, New Zealand is far more down under than Australia.

The Misnomer of 'Down Under'

The Great Unknown South Land was often referred to as the 'Land Down Under.' However, the title was later stolen by Australia. When Europeans first encountered the western coast of a land mass now called Australia, it did not look like the 'fabled promised south land.' It could have been Terra Australis, but soon after another explorer, Tasman, discovered that the land mass was too small and not south enough to be Terra Australis. He then referred to it as New Holland.

However, on the same voyage, Tasman bumped into the western coast of New Zealand and speculated that it may have been Terra Australis. This suspicion remained until Captain James Cook went in search of Terra Australis, trying to find the eastern coast of New Zealand. When he did, he discovered that New Zealand was too small to be Terra Australis and concluded that Terra Australis did not exist!

Never once did Cook or the British Admiralty consider New Holland to be Terra Australis. Instead, it was New Zealand that held that title for over 150 years! Australia, although closer to the South Pole, has never really been Terra Australis.

Thus, we have claimed the title of being 'the land down under,' although more appropriately, New Zealand should hold that title!

The picture becomes clearer when you view a map of the world. Australia is hardly 'down under' when compared to the extent of New Zealand. This geographical fact underscores why New Zealand should be seen as the true 'Land Down Under.'