New Zealand moves closer to Australia

Last week's 7.8 magnitude earthquake which struck the south island of New Zealand has shifted the country closer to Australia, by 30 centimetres. "New Zealand just got a little bigger, is one way to think of it," seismologist Ken Gledhill said. The biggest earthquake measured so far this year, and the largest to strike New Zealand in 78 years, caused alarm but no major damage in the south of the country on July 15th. A tsunami alert was issued though waves of only 20 cm were reported. Despite the slight shift towards the Australian continent, the countries still remain some distance apart at more than 2,259 km. Many have already joked that air fares are unlikely to be affected.