@Gelderland
If Americans know anything about New Zealand at all, they do see it as part of Australia. The problem is that most people have absolutely no idea what you mean when you say it, most Americans only know the first thing about a handful of countries, and there are only a handful more that they can even recognize as countries. You severely underestimate the gaps in the average American's geographic knowledge, because it's so mind-boggling how large they are. Many seriously don't know anything about the STATE right next to where they live. I'd guess that at least half the people here can't even name the states that border the state they live in, much less know which one is north, south, east, or west. I've lived with people that didn't know that the state 20 miles away was part of the United States. Seriously.
On the Simpsons, Homer says "English? Who needs that? I'm never going to England." Yes, it's TV, but it's based on very real experiences in the US. I was asked about the language barrier going to Ireland, and asked what language they speak, a country that is the ancestry of 12% of the US' population, second after only Germans if you count countries (if you lump all of Africa together, it barely surpasses Ireland). Except MAYBE Canada, England, France, Mexico, Spain, and Germany, no matter what other country you're traveling to, if you tell a significant number of Americans your travel plans, I guarantee someone will ask what language they speak there, and whether you will have to deal with the language barrier. Unless the group that you are telling are selected, directly or indirectly, as being significantly above average in their knowledge of other countries (for example, if you were telling people who shared your major in international relations, or a language related to the country you were traveling to, or geography, or something), it's an absolute guarantee, I'd bet my house on it.
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@Gelderland
If Americans know anything about New Zealand at all, they do see it as part of Australia. The problem is that most people have absolutely no idea what you mean when you say it, most Americans only know the first thing about a handful of countries, and there are only a handful more that they can even recognize as countries. You severely underestimate the gaps in the average American's geographic knowledge, because it's so mind-boggling how large they are. Many seriously don't know anything about the STATE right next to where they live. I'd guess that at least half the people here can't even name the states that border the state they live in, much less know which one is north, south, east, or west. I've lived with people that didn't know that the state 20 miles away was part of the United States. Seriously.
On the Simpsons, Homer says "English? Who needs that? I'm never going to England." Yes, it's TV, but it's based on very real experiences in the US. I was asked about the language barrier going to Ireland, and asked what language they speak, a country that is the ancestry of 12% of the US' population, second after only Germans if you count countries (if you lump all of Africa together, it barely surpasses Ireland). Except MAYBE Canada, England, France, Mexico, Spain, and Germany, no matter what other country you're traveling to, if you tell a significant number of Americans your travel plans, I guarantee someone will ask what language they speak there, and whether you will have to deal with the language barrier. Unless the group that you are telling are selected, directly or indirectly, as being significantly above average in their knowledge of other countries (for example, if you were telling people who shared your major in international relations, or a language related to the country you were traveling to, or geography, or something), it's an absolute guarantee, I'd bet my house on it.