What is the name of the sea between Australia and New Zealand?

The sea between Australia and New Zealand is the Tasman Sea.

The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, separating Australia to the west from New Zealand to the east. It is roughly 2,000 kilometres across and extends about 2,800 kilometres from north to south. Its maximum depth is approximately 5,943 metres.

The sea was named after Dutch navigator Abel Janszoon Tasman, who became the first known European to cross it in 1642. James Cook later navigated the region extensively during his voyages in the 1770s. Māori tradition calls it Te Moana-a-Rehua, meaning “the sea of Rehua.”

The Tasman Sea is more than a map label: it has shaped travel, communications, and migration between the two countries. Australians and New Zealanders sometimes call it “the Ditch.” The East Australian Current carries warm tropical water southward through the region, influencing weather and marine ecosystems.

It is often confused with the Coral Sea, which lies north of it, or the Bass Strait, which separates mainland Australia from Tasmania.