Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Google Maps Kayaking Directions

Every now and again Google Maps driving directions throws a curve-ball into a suggested route.

If you ask Google Maps for the driving directions from Sydney Airport to 200 Stanmore Rd, Stanmore, NSW 2048, Australia (Newington College) Step 48 suggests that you Kayak across the Pacific Ocean to Australia. The estimated length of this journey is 43 days and 6 hours, but I understand if you catch the North Equatorial Current you can seriously cut into that time.



These directions could have been useful for Emma Nunn and Raoul Christian from the UK who booked flights for what they thought was Sydney, Australia but ended up in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. Instead of a holiday on the sunny beaches of Sydney, New South Wales they ended up in a cold former mining town in Canada. However they did say they enjoyed looking at the 'pick-up trucks'. You can read more of this story at the BBC website (credit Bill Lee).

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is the longest I was able to find. Can anybody beat 25,442 km?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=cartwright,+newfoundland&daddr=onslow,+australia&sll=41.079351,-74.399414&sspn=18.228589,37.96875&ie=UTF8&z=2

Anonymous said...

Well, I beat myself. 25,498 km :-)

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=cartwright,+newfoundland&daddr=mardie,+australia&sll=-21.122936,116.356201&sspn=0.705841,1.186523&ie=UTF8&z=2

Anonymous said...

kayaking that far might not be that difficult... this post on mappery's blog says kayaking around the equator took only 3 1/2 weeks!

Anonymous said...

Ah, the old Sydney, NS (Nova Scotia, Canada) vs Sydney, (NSW, New South Wales, Australia).
One is a vibrant gaelic cultural centre, the other is a poor backwater to the metropolitan Melbourne.

At least they could have gone from the Sidney (B.C., Canada) airport (Patricia Bay Airport/ Victoria B.C.

Airport) just over on the west coast and had an easier time of it.

Old news story of British tourists from London getting on a plane, and after a stop over in Halifax getting to

Sydney and wondering why it was so cold. Didn't like cod, nor coal it seemed, but the beaches and tar ponds were

fine.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2172858.stm

another here (auf Deutsch)
http://www.spiegel.de/reise/aktuell/0,1518,531572,00.html

Amos Shapira said...

A year ago there was something similar between New York and England, with a boat through France or such. Does anyone remember the link?

Keir Clarke said...

amos - I think the journey you talked about suggested swimming the Atlantic. I also think Google deleted the route and started saying the journey was impossible or they couldn't provide directions for the route.

Anonymous said...

Kayaking, and no reference to that dude that faked his own death? Shame on you.

Keir Clarke said...

You're right. Here is a link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Darwin_disappearance_case

Anonymous said...

I got directions from Launceston to Hobart (both in Tasmania) .

Google maps gave me directions from Launceston, Tasmania to Hobart, Indiana.

The directions included three kayak legs - one from Darwin to Japan, another from Japan to Hawaii and the final leg from Hawaii to Washington.

Anonymous said...

Yeah I got the same thing going from Perth to Lincoln Bay.

Anonymous said...

Found what i believe is the absolute longest point A to Point B directions you can get. Cartwright, NewFoundland, Canada to Catamaran, Tasmania. 29,483 km – about 58 days 15 hours ---> http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=cartwright,+newfoundland&daddr=mardie,+australia&sll=-21.122936,116.356201&sspn=0.705841,1.186523&ie=UTF8&z=2

This, by far beats Andy up above.

Cheers :)

Jono S-C said...

29,490km. I don't think anyone will beat that, unless there was one possibility I didn't explore, but I don't think there is.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=53.705167,-57.018785&daddr=Unknown+road&geocode=%3BFcYMZ_0deLPBCA&hl=en&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=15&sll=53.708418,-57.013121&sspn=0.017171,0.038624&ie=UTF8&ll=53.715962,-57.015824&spn=0.017168,0.038624&z=15

Jono S-C said...

My mistake, it's 29,489 as it appears there. But if you swap the destination and origin, you get the extra km.

lefty7448 said...

29,589km from South Cape Rd, Catamaran, TAS to somewhere on a ferry between Lewisporte, Newfoundland and Happy-Valley-Goose-Bay, Labrador. The fact that the destination is not on dry land is a bit odd, but then again, this trip does involve kayaking from Japan to Hawaii...

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=-43.580515,146.829529&daddr=Goose+Bay+-+Lewisporte&hl=en&geocode=%3BFdbvOAMdrFif_A&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=14&sll=-43.583748,146.86944&sspn=0.037055,0.090981&ie=UTF8&z=14

Anonymous said...

29,535 km from Catamaran Tasmania to Cape Race Newfoundland seems to be the longest possible distance, that is, if the destination is on land.

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.681928,-95.451751&z=3&t=h&hl=en

Hope the link works.

richo said...

i got a few more km's in there

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.681928,-95.451751&z=3&t=h&hl=en

thomas said...

29,664 km don't think anyone will get further

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=-43.580515,146.829529&daddr=Goose+Bay+-+Lewisporte&hl=en&geocode=%3BFdbvOAMdrFif_A&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=14&sll=-43.583748,146.86944&sspn=0.037055,0.090981&ie=UTF8&z=14

Anonymous said...

30,000km roughly. I feel like you could go on forever though.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=maine&daddr=-16.214675,135.527344+to:Derby+Gibb+River+Rd+to:Evanston+Menzies+Rd+to:sydney,+australia&geocode=FZeEsgIdo1jc-ynVilMd3h2wTDHQqCBnb8x51g%3B%3BFVld-v4d9BFzBw%3BFZiWOP4dDZ0qBw%3BFX06-_0dyjwDCSlLWOFQOa4SazGiG_ayzb8_pw&hl=en&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=4&via=1,2,3&doflg=ptk&sll=-11.092166,149.589844&sspn=41.367853,73.828125&ie=UTF8&ll=-8.537565,132.1875&spn=21.175753,36.914062&t=h&z=5

richo said...

sorry but you can't add Via's
because then you could go forever
back and forth

Anonymous said...

Yes - try this one:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=cartwright,+newfoundland&daddr=onslow,+australia&sll=41.079351,-74.399414&sspn=18.228589,37.96875&ie=UTF8&z=2

45000 KM! :-)