What distance does this calculate?

It calculates the straight-line, or great-circle, distance between two points on the Earth's surface using their latitude and longitude. This is the shortest distance over the surface, not the road or driving distance, which is usually longer.

How do I find a coordinate?

In most map apps you can right-click a location to see its latitude and longitude as two numbers, for example -41.2865 and 174.7762 for Wellington. Enter those into the boxes. Southern latitudes and western longitudes are negative.

Why is this different from driving distance?

The great-circle distance is a straight line across the surface. Roads bend around terrain, coastlines, and towns, so the driving distance is always longer. Use a maps app for driving distance and time.

Distance Calculator

This calculator works out the straight-line, or great-circle, distance between any two points on Earth's surface, the shortest path a bird or plane would take, handy for flight planning, geography, logistics or simply satisfying curiosity about how far apart two places really are. You enter the latitude and longitude of your first point and your second point in decimal degrees, four figures in total, and the calculator applies the haversine formula, which treats the Earth as a sphere of about 6,371 kilometres in radius, to find the shortest distance across the curved surface between them. The result updates instantly as you type, showing the distance in both kilometres and miles so you do not need to convert units yourself. By default the fields hold the coordinates of Auckland and Wellington, about 494 km apart in a straight line, so you can see how the tool works before entering your own points. To find a coordinate elsewhere, most map apps let you right-click or long-press a spot to reveal its latitude and longitude; remember southern latitudes, as used throughout New Zealand, and western longitudes are negative numbers. This is the straight-line distance over the surface, not a road distance; roads bend around hills, coastlines and towns, so the actual driving distance is almost always longer, so use a maps app for travel time or route distance.

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Point 1 latitude

Point 1 longitude

Point 2 latitude

Point 2 longitude

0 km

0 miles

Straight-line (great-circle) distance. Default points are Auckland and Wellington.

How it works

The calculator uses the haversine formula, which finds the great-circle distance between two points on a sphere from their latitude and longitude. The Earth is treated as a sphere with a radius of about 6,371 km, which is accurate to within a fraction of a percent for everyday use.

Worked example

Auckland (-36.8485, 174.7633) to Wellington (-41.2865, 174.7762) is about 494 km in a straight line. The drive is longer, around 640 km, because roads are not straight.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get coordinates?

Right-click a spot in most map apps to see its latitude and longitude. Southern and western values are negative, which is normal for New Zealand (latitudes are negative).

Who this calculator is for

This calculator is for anyone working out a distance, whether between two points or from a speed and time.

What this calculator assumes

The values and units you enter.
A straight-line distance, or speed multiplied by time, as applicable.
Standard formulas.
Results are rounded for display.

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Trigonometry Calculator: angles and triangle sides.
Fuel Cost Calculator: cost of a trip by distance.
Unit Converter: convert km, miles, and more.

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