Let's Talk Continents

When I started this blog in June of 2013, I had set foot on just two continents. Those would be Europe and North America, in case you haven't been reading since the beginning. One of my goals when I started this blog was to make it to more than just those two in pretty short order. Through February 2019, I had clearly visited Africa (three times), South America and Asia in addition to trekking all over the two I'd already notched before I decided to start traveling more adventurously on my 45th birthday. 

That would give me two more continents to go to get all seven. I figured one day I'd land in Sydney and head up the east coast of Australia and continent six would be in the books! After that I'd just have to bite the bullet, shell out a pile of money and head to Antarctica and claim I'd been to every continent on the planet.

But then this month I visited New Zealand. It was special in so many ways and there were some parts that were absolutely gorgeous. But now I'm confused. Or maybe I was just never clear on something to begin with.

Oban harbor at sunrise. Stewart Island.

Growing up studying geography, I remember being told there were seven continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica and Australia. Or is that last one Oceania? Or Australasia? Was the name of the seventh one really that clear? I also remember being told Australia was the only continent that was a single island. How is that true? Where does that leave Tasmania (which is part of Australia the country)? Heck, what about New Zealand? If the continent of Australia is just the one island, what continent do New Zealand and Tasmania belong to? Not to mention Fiji. And Tonga. Or Vanuatu, even.

For almost 51 years, I've been able to gloss over the details of what defines some sort of continent on the other side of the world from where I was born. Now that I've been to New Zealand, I can no longer do that.

There's one thing I knew when I booked my trip to New Zealand last year and that was that New Zealand is not part of Europe, Asia, Africa, North America or South America. By that logic, I was in line to definitely, unquestionably, for sure, no doubt about it visit my sixth continent on this planet of ours this March. My assumption is that continent would be Oceania. Or some place named something like that. Then I discovered that in February 2017, the Geological Society of America claimed New Zealand is not part of the same continent as Australia or Fiji or Tonga or Vanuatu. It is possibly, in fact, part of a mostly submerged eighth continent that has been dubbed Zealandia.

What the heck do I do with that?

Maybe we should go back to the beginning.

No pics allowed inside Waitomo Caves so this pic will have to suffice. Worth the trip, although over in a flash.

For a long time, there were only three continents, although not too long before that, there were just two. And yes, I'm talking from a European perspective here. 

The ancient Greeks accepted the idea of Europe, Asia and Libya, although it took a little while for Libya (now Africa) to be considered a separate continent. The Greeks, we assume, did not have the benefit of the understanding we have today of the Earth being a sphere rotating around the sun and the continents being a result of tectonic movement. Their concept of continents likely was a result of generally classifying land masses bounded by water, although I'm speculating here a little. For a couple of millennia, that's where things stood, continent-wise.

Then in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue and found some new land. Or some new land that Europeans didn't know about. Or did he? Apparently Columbus thought he'd just landed in Asia, but just from the other side. It actually took Amerigo Vespucci sailing all the way down to the tip of what is now South America in 1501 to convince folks that this new land was actually a fourth continent. And yes, the Americas were at first just considered one continent. North and South America wouldn't be universally recognized as separate continents until all the way into the 19th century or maybe later.

So how did we get to seven? Well (and super quickly here), North and South America would eventually each get full continent status although as noted above it took a while. Australia was discovered by Europeans in 1606 but was classified initially as part of Asia. Although by 1800, some folks weren't so sure and the idea of it being the fifth continent (remember North and South America were just America at this point) was definitely on the table. And Antarctica? Explored by Russia in 1820 and the United States 18 years later but not fully acknowledged as a continent all over the U.S. until after World War II. Not a typo.

And then March 2019 and February 2017 happened to me. Is New Zealand actually a continent or not? Apparently, it was classified by some experts as a microcontinent before that time. In fact, it turns out there had been microcontinents being classified for years and I didn't even know it. And I claim to be interested in geography...it's sad sometimes how out of touch I am.

I have no idea what to think so I'm going, right or wrong, with what I was taught growing up and calling the continent I just visited Oceania. Maybe it's lazy. Maybe it's me getting older. Maybe it's just plain wrong. I'm open to other evidence. But for now, the label on this post and the remaining New Zealand posts I'll crank out over the next few months will read "Oceania". Call me wrong if you must. 

It really was pretty amazing by the way. Especially heading way south. Stories coming. From Oceania.

Chilling (although that might be the wrong word here) in a volcanically heated pool in Rotorua.