Flag of New Zealand early days of European settlement. Additionally, in Māori mythology the Southern Cross is identified as "Māhutonga", an aperture in "Te Ikaroa" (the Milky Way) through which storm winds escaped. The flag should be rectangular in shape and its length should be two times its width, translating into an aspect ratio of 1:2. It has a royal blue background with a Union Jack in the canton, and four five-pointed red stars with white borders on the fly (outer or right-hand side). The exact colours are specified as Pantone 186C (red), Pantone 280C (blue), and white. According to the Ministry for Culture
Crux 67 degrees south declination for the middle of the constellation. But in AD 18000 or BC 8000 Crux will be and was less than 30 degrees south declination making it visible in Northern Europe. Even by AD 14000, it will be visible for most parts of Europe and the whole United States. In the Southern Hemisphere, the Southern Cross is frequently used for navigation in much the same way that Polaris is used in the Northern Hemisphere. Alpha and Gamma (known as Acrux and Gacrux, respectively) are commonly used to mark south. Tracing a line from Gacrux to Acrux leads