You're on a boat sailing from Hawaii to New Zealand.?

Question

Halfway there you run into a hurricane, break your main mask, your boat sinks and you drift for days on a board. You then land on a deserted island with only the shirt on your back but there's lots of fresh water, coconuts and lots of fruits. The days and nights are heavily overcasted. How do you know if you're above or below the equator with what you have?

It's a law of nature that the early Polynesian navigators used but the practice has been lost because it is seldom used.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, there isn't anything that can help you to guess your position if you don't have the possibility to observe celestial bodies.
However, if it is a volcanic island, there is a faint hope to find a ferrite stone where crystals were formed aligned by the earth magnetism. It could then be used as the Vikings did with their 'sun-stone.' (see link below)
You would then have to use it to find the cardinal directions from the morning (east) to evening (west). Knowing that, you could try to find the angle the stone reflection makes with the zenith at your estimated mid-day (sun's meridian passage). That could tell you on which side of the equator you are ... if you still remember the date and can guess the probable declination.
But all of this seems pretty much improbable and knowing which hemisphere you're in should be one of your least problem.

Answer 2

The point halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere.

Since you didn't specify the direction in which you drift on your board, any direction is equally likely, so it is more likely you are still in the southern hemisphere.

Answer 3

the half was way between hawaii and new zealand is the cook islands.....so u must be below the equator....also you you can tell by day time lengh .....

Answer 4

who cares, are there hot babes on this island too?