THE POWER ISSUE
IT ’ S THE DEBATE THAT ’ S BEEN UNDECIDED FOR GENERATIONS , THE RIVALRY THAT NEEDS TO BE SETTLED ONCE AND FOR ALL . SO , WHICH COUNTRY IS BETTER : AUSTRALIA OR NEW ZEALAND ? HERE ’ S THE OFFICIAL JUDGEMENT *.
AU V NZ : POWER BATTLE
ROUND 1 : WILDLIFE
AU : Well , we ’ ve got this one in the bag from the off . Mention kangaroos and koalas and you ’ ve got two global icons . Throw in the stunning sea life and coral from the Great Barrier Reef and you ’ ve got world-class wildlife right there . Yes , there are a few killer spiders and snakes , crocs and stingrays , but that just adds a bit of excitement , right ? NZ : Forest birds . Sheep . New Zealand has seven times more sheep than people – now that ’ s a ratio . Verdict : Aussies have it – 1-0
ROUND 2 : LANDMARKS
AU : From the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House to Uluru . The Great Ocean Road . Port Arthur to the MCG . Our country ’ s packed with internationally renowned landmarks . The Opera House and Harbour Bridge are immediately identifiable … and people travel from all over the world to get their own shot of it . NZ : Manmade landmarks ?! Who really wants all of those tourists with cameras swarming around anyway ? No , NZ is much more refined than that . The Huka Falls , Moeraki Boulders , Craters of the Moon , Tongariro Crossing . Now there ’ s some natural landmarks right there , sent from above . Verdict : This is a tight one , but we ’ re scoring this as a draw . A point each . Australia 2 , New Zealand 1 .
ROUND 3 : LANDSCAPE
AU : The red dust , the sunburnt land . The vast , vast swathes of open land . The beaches and stunning coastlines attract visitors from across the globe ( when they are allowed in !). Although , in all fairness , some of those beach visitors would be best left in quarantine .
22 GEMCELL . COM . AU FEB – MAR 2021