Tasman Sea - Wikipedia Tasman Sea A marginal sea of the South Pacific between Australia and New Zealand Tasman Sea Location Map of the Tasman Sea Location Western Pacific Ocean Coordinates 40 ° S 160 ° E ﻿ / ﻿ 40 ° S 160 ° E ﻿ / - 40 ; 160 Type Sea Basin countries Australia, New Zealand Max. length 2,800 km ( 1,700 mi ) Max. width 2,200 km ( 1,400 mi ) Islands Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island Benches Lord Howe Rise Settlements Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong, Auckland, Wellington, Hobart Satellite photo of the Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea ( Māori : Te Tai - o - Rehua, Pitcairn - Norfolk : Tasman Sii ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about 2,000 kilometres ( 1,200 mi ) across and about 2,800 kilometres ( 1,700 mi ) from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who was the first recorded European to encounter New Zealand and Tasmania. The British explorer Captain James Cook later extensively navigated the Tasman Sea in the 1770s as part of his first voyage of exploration. The Tasman Sea is informally referred to in both Australian and New Zealand English as The Ditch ; for example, crossing the Ditch means travelling to Australia from New Zealand, or vice versa. The diminutive term `` The Ditch '' used for the Tasman Sea is comparable to referring to the North Atlantic Ocean as `` The Pond ''. Contents 1 Climate 2 Geography 2.1 Extent 2.2 Ridge 2.3 Islands 2.4 Adjoining bodies of water 3 Animal and plant life 4 History 5 See also 6 References 7 Book sources 8 External links Climate The south of the sea is passed over by depressions going from west to east. The northern limit of these westerly winds is near to 40 ° S. During the southern winter, from April to October, the northern branch of these winds from the west changes its direction toward the north and goes up against trade winds. Hence, the sea receives frequent winds from the southwest during this period. In the Australian summer ( from November to March ) the southern branch of the trade winds goes up against west winds and produces further wind activity in the area. Geography The sea circumscribes a water body of 2,250 kilometres ( 1,400 miles ) wide and 2,300,000 kilometres ( 1,400,000 miles ) in area. The depth of the sea is 5,493 metres ( 18,022 feet ). The base of the sea is made up of globigerina ooze. A small zone of pteropod ooze is found to the south of New Caledonia and to the southern extent of 30 ° S, siliceous ooze can be found. Extent The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Tasman Sea as follows : On the West. A line from Gabo Island ( near Cape Howe, 37 ° 30 'S ) to the Northeast point of East Sister Island ( 148 ° E ) thence along the 148th meridian to Flinders Island ; beyond this Island a line running to the Eastward of the Vansittart Shoals to ( Cape ) Barren Island, and from Cape Barren ( the Easternmost point of ( Cape ) Barren Island ) to Eddystone Point ( 41 ° S ) in Tasmania, thence along the East coast to South East Cape, the Southern point of Tasmania. On the North. The parallel of 30 ° S from the Australian coast Eastward as far as a line joining the East extremities of Elizabeth Reef and South East Rock ( 31 ° 47 ′ S 159 ° 18 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 31.783 ° S 159.300 ° E ﻿ / - 31.783 ; 159.300 ) then to the Southward along this line to the South East Rock ( an outlier of Lord Howe Island ). On the Northeast. From the South East Rock to the North point of Three Kings Islands ( 34 ° 10 ′ S 172 ° 10 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 34.167 ° S 172.167 ° E ﻿ / - 34.167 ; 172.167 ) thence to North Cape in New Zealand. On the East. In Cook Strait. A line joining the South extreme of the foul ground off Cape Palliser ( Ngawi ) and the Lighthouse on Cape Campbell ( Te Karaka ). In Foveaux Strait ( 46 ° 45 'S ). A line joining the Light on Waipapapa Point ( sic ) ( 168 ° 33'E ) with East Head ( 47'02'S ) of Stewart Island ( Rakiura ). On the Southeast. A line running from South West Cape, Stewart Island, through The Snares ( 48 ° S, 166 ° 30'E ) to North West Cape, Auckland Island ( 50 ° 30 ′ S 166 ° 10 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 50.500 ° S 166.167 ° E ﻿ / - 50.500 ; 166.167 ), through this island to its Southern point. On the South. A line joining the Southern point of Auckland Island ( 50 ° 55 ′ S 166 ° 0 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 50.917 ° S 166.000 ° E ﻿ / - 50.917 ; 166.000 ) to South East Cape, the Southern point of Tasmania. Ridge Smoke from the Black Saturday bushfires crosses the southern Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea 's mid-ocean ridge developed between 85 and 55 million years ago as Australia and Zealandia broke apart during the breakup of supercontinent Gondwana. It lies roughly midway between the continental margins of Australia and Zealandia. Much of Zealandia is submerged, so the ridge runs much closer to the Australian coast than New Zealand 's. Islands The Tasman Sea features a number of mid-sea island groups, quite apart from coastal islands located near the Australian and New Zealand mainlands : Lord Howe Island ( part of New South Wales ) Ball 's Pyramid ( part of New South Wales ) Norfolk Island, in the extreme north of the Tasman Sea, on the border with the Coral Sea ( External Territory ) Middleton Reef ( part of Coral Sea Islands Territory ) Elizabeth Reef ( part of Coral Sea Islands Territory ) Adjoining bodies of water North : Coral Sea Northeast and East : Pacific Ocean South and Southeast : Southern Ocean West : Bass Strait Animal and plant life A deep - sea research ship, the Tangaroa explored the sea and found 500 species of fish and 1300 species of invertebrates. The tooth of Megalodon, an extinct shark was also found by some researchers. History Moncrieff and Hood were the first to attempt a Trans - Tasman crossing by plane in 1928. The first successful flight over the sea was accomplished by Charles Kingsford Smith later that year. The first person to row solo across the sea was Colin Quincey in 1977. The next successful solo crossing was completed by his son, Shaun Quincey, in 2010. See also Australia portal New Zealand portal Axis naval activity in New Zealand waters Crossing the Ditch List of seas Coral sea References Jump up ^ Rāwiri Taonui. Tapa whenua -- naming places -- Events, maps and European influences, Te Ara -- the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, Ministry for Culture and Heritage. ISBN 978 - 0 - 478 - 18451 - 8. Updated 1 March 2009. Retrieved 24 February 2011 Jump up ^ `` Tasman Sea ''. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 19 September 2013. Jump up ^ Rotschi & Lemasson 1967, p. 54. Jump up ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. ( 1911 ). `` Area of Tasman sea ''. Encyclopædia Britannica ( 11th ed. ). Cambridge University Press. Jump up ^ `` Depth of the sea '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 23 April 2018. Jump up ^ Rotschi & Lemasson 1967, p. 51. Jump up ^ `` Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition '' ( PDF ). International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. p. 36. Retrieved 23 September 2016. Jump up ^ Van Der Linden, Willem J.M ( 1969 ). `` Extinct mid-ocean ridges in the Tasman sea and in the Western Pacific ''. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 6 ( 6 ) : 483 -- 490. doi : 10.1016 / 0012 - 821X ( 69 ) 90120 - 4. Jump up ^ `` Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea, Australia ''. volcano.oregonstate.edu. Retrieved 23 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Ball 's Pyramid ''. Unusual Places. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Norfolk Island, Tasman Sea Live Weather Report ''. www.tide-forecast.com. Retrieved 23 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Middleton Reef ''. sealaunay. Retrieved 23 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Department of the Environment and Energy ''. Department of the Environment and Energy. Retrieved 23 April 2018. Jump up ^ van der Linden, Willem J.M. ( Jan 2012 ). `` Morphology of the Tasman sea floor ''. Taylor & Francis group. 13 ( 1 ) : 282 -- 291. doi : 10.1080 / 00288306.1970. 10428218. Retrieved 23 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Mysterious ocean feature found in Tasman Sea ''. Australian Geographic. Retrieved 23 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Tasman Sea produces freaky species ''. CBC News. 30 June 2003. Retrieved 23 April 2018. Jump up ^ Anne Barrowclough ( 14 March 2010 ). `` Kiwi becomes second person to row across the Tasman Sea ''. Times Online. Times Newspapers. Retrieved 22 May 2011. Book sources Rotschi, H. ; Lemasson, L. ( 1967 ), Oceanography of the Coral and Tasman Seas ( PDF ), Oceanogr Marine Biol Ann Rev, ASIN B00KJ0X6D4 External links Media related to Tasman Sea at Wikimedia Commons List of Australian seas Ocean Indian Ocean Pacific Ocean Southern Ocean Sea Arafura Sea Coral Sea Tasman Sea Timor Sea Strait Backstairs Passage Bass Strait Clarence Strait Dundas Strait Endeavour Strait Investigator Strait Torres Strait Gulf Admiralty Gulf Beagle Gulf Cambridge Gulf Gulf of Carpentaria Great Australian Bight Exmouth Gulf Joseph Bonaparte Gulf Gulf St Vincent Spencer Gulf Van Diemen Gulf Earth 's oceans and seas Arctic Ocean Amundsen Gulf Barents Sea Beaufort Sea Chukchi Sea East Siberian Sea Greenland Sea Gulf of Boothia Kara Sea Laptev Sea Lincoln Sea Prince Gustav Adolf Sea Pechora Sea Queen Victoria Sea Wandel Sea White Sea Atlantic Ocean Adriatic Sea Aegean Sea Alboran Sea Archipelago Sea Argentine Sea Baffin Bay Balearic Sea Baltic Sea Bay of Biscay Bay of Bothnia Bay of Campeche Bay of Fundy Black Sea Bothnian Sea Caribbean Sea Celtic Sea English Channel Foxe Basin Greenland Sea Gulf of Bothnia Gulf of Finland Gulf of Lion Gulf of Guinea Gulf of Maine Gulf of Mexico Gulf of Saint Lawrence Gulf of Sidra Gulf of Venezuela Hudson Bay Ionian Sea Irish Sea Irminger Sea James Bay Labrador Sea Levantine Sea Libyan Sea Ligurian Sea Marmara Sea Mediterranean Sea Myrtoan Sea North Sea Norwegian Sea Sargasso Sea Sea of Åland Sea of Azov Sea of Crete Sea of the Hebrides Thracian Sea Tyrrhenian Sea Wadden Sea Indian Ocean Andaman Sea Arabian Sea Bali Sea Bay of Bengal Flores Sea Great Australian Bight Gulf of Aden Gulf of Aqaba Gulf of Khambhat Gulf of Kutch Gulf of Oman Gulf of Suez Java Sea Laccadive Sea Mozambique Channel Persian Gulf Red Sea Timor Sea Pacific Ocean Arafura Sea Banda Sea Bering Sea Bismarck Sea Bohai Sea Bohol Sea Camotes Sea Celebes Sea Ceram Sea Chilean Sea Coral Sea East China Sea Gulf of Alaska Gulf of Anadyr Gulf of California Gulf of Carpentaria Gulf of Fonseca Gulf of Panama Gulf of Thailand Gulf of Tonkin Halmahera Sea Koro Sea Mar de Grau Molucca Sea Moro Gulf Philippine Sea Salish Sea Savu Sea Sea of Japan Sea of Okhotsk Seto Inland Sea Shantar Sea Sibuyan Sea Solomon Sea South China Sea Sulu Sea Tasman Sea Visayan Sea Yellow Sea Southern Ocean Amundsen Sea Bellingshausen Sea Cooperation Sea Cosmonauts Sea Davis Sea D'Urville Sea King Haakon VII Sea Lazarev Sea Mawson Sea Riiser - Larsen Sea Ross Sea Scotia Sea Somov Sea Weddell Sea Landlocked seas Aral Sea Caspian Sea Dead Sea Salton Sea Book Coordinates : 40 ° S 160 ° E ﻿ / ﻿ 40 ° S 160 ° E ﻿ / - 40 ; 160 WorldCat Identities GND : 4384782 - 1 VIAF : 245388908 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tasman_Sea&oldid=863256618 '' Categories : Tasman Sea Coastline of New Zealand Marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean Australia -- New Zealand border Coastline of Australia Bodies of water of Australia Bodies of water of New Zealand Seas of Oceania Hidden categories : Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica without Wikisource reference Articles with short description Use dmy dates from July 2014 Use Australian English from April 2018 All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English Articles containing Pitcairn - Norfolk - language text Coordinates on Wikidata Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Ænglisc Aragonés Asturianu Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه Башҡортса Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Чӑвашла Cebuano Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Frysk Gaelg Galego 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Ilokano Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית ქართული Қазақша Кыргызча Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Македонски मराठी მარგალური Bahasa Melayu Монгол မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands 日本 語 Norfuk / Pitkern Norsk Norsk nynorsk Олык марий Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی Plattdüütsch Polski Português Română Русский Scots Simple English Slovenčina کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Vèneto Tiếng Việt Winaray ייִדיש 粵語 中文 76 more Edit links This page was last edited on 9 October 2018, at 17 : 26 ( UTC ). 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Question: which water body separates australia from new zealand
Answer: The Tasman Sea