2001 Scenic - One Hundred Years Of Tourism

2001 Scenic 100 Years Header.   (NZ Post website.)
Sea kayaking through the crystal clear waters of one of our National Parks is the 

As New Zealanders, we've always taken pride in what we can offer our visitors. Indeed, ours was the first country to have a government tourist department. Now, 100 years on, tourism is one of our top foreign exchange earners, with more than 1.7 million international visitors enjoying their own kiwi experience in 2000 alone.
The 2001 Scenic: 100 Years of Tourism issue sort to capture this combination of beautiful landscapes and fun activities using images from Tourism New Zealand - celebrating 100 Years of Tourism in New Zealand.

The Stamps.
I have always considered this issue to have a very dark appearance, almost as if we are looking at the scenes through very dark sunglasses. I think part of the reason for this is the thick, black border on the lower edge. To get this strip appearing totally black, I believe the printer had to apply extra black ink which has caused a darker appearance over the pictures as well. This can best be seen when looking at the pictures on the covers of the stamp books. Without the lower black strip, see the difference it has made to the colours in these pictures. 

40c - Bungy Jumping / Queenstown.
Queenstown captures the thrill of one of our more famous tourism experiences which, along with jet boating and white water rafting, attract the adventurous visitor. Bungy jumping began in the Queenstown area and is still one of the more popular tourist activities today.

80c - Thermal Lakes / Lake Rotoiti.
Te Arawa Waka Taua features the Rotorua thermal lakes district once visited by our earliest tourists - and it's still a popular destination today. This is where New Zealand's tourism began. The Pink & White Terraces at Lake Rotomahana were described as the eighth wonder of the world and a major tourist attraction. They were destroyed in 1889 when the bottom of the lake exploded as part of the great volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera. 

90c - Sightseeing / Mount Alfred.
The view from Mount Alfred is just one of the majestic panoramas visitors can experience when exploring our country by car, tourist coach or train. One of the main attractions of tourism in New Zealand is our scenery. The fact that by driving only a short distance you can go from swimming in the ocean to skying in the mountains. From viewing sheep and cattle grazing in flat pasture to climbing steep snow-capped peaks. 

$1.30 - Fishing / Rees River, Glenorchy.
The Rees River, Glenorchy, one of our many picturesque waterways. New Zealand is a mecca for serious and casual anglers alike, with its huge variety of fresh and seawater life. Trout were introduced into New Zealand in the late 1800s and has become a popular sporting and tourism activity.

$1.50 - Sea-Kayaking / Abel Tasman National Park.
Abel Tasman National Park. Sea kayaking around its golden sand beaches is a unique experience - with inlets, islands and an abundance of life to observe.

$2.00 - Tramping / Fiordland National Park.
This stamp recognises the huge number of tramping opportunities in New Zealand. Featured is the Fiordland National Park, which walkers have been attracted to since the late 19th century.


Self-adhesive Firsts
This issue was the first of the 'annual scenic' issues to also come in a self-adhesive format. The self-adhesive versions were available in booklets of 10 for both the 40c Bungy Jumping and 90c Sightseeing stamps, and a booklet of five for the $1.50 Sea Kayaking.

40c - Bungy Jumping / Queenstown (Self Adhesive).
Booklet - $4.00  10 x 40c.

90c - Sightseeing / Mount Alfred (Self Adhesive).
Booklet - $9.00  10 x 90c.

$1.50 - Sea-Kayaking / Abel Tasman National Park (Self Adhesive).
Booklet - $7.50  5 x $1.50.



First Day Cover - 4th July 2001.

Self Adhesive Stamps First Day Cover - 4th July 2001. 


 The 100 Years of Tourism presentation pack contains background information about the issue as well as gummed stamps.


Philanippon '01 Japan World Stamp Exhibition: Tokyo.
Japan hosted the first FIP World Exhibition in Asia, Philanippon '01 between 1 - 7 August 2001.

There had been a huge upsurge of interest in stamps around Asia. With stamp dealers and postal administrations from around the world participating, Philanippon '01 eclipsed Japan's two previous enormously successful World Stamp Exhibitions in 1981 and 1991.
To commemorate the event, New Zealand Post created two special items. A souvenir envelope featuring bustling Tokyo at night with a miniature sheet affixed incorporating the Philanippon '01 logo. The miniature sheet with Lake Matheson in the background featured two stamps from 2001 Scenic: 100 Years of Tourism stamps issue.

Miniature Sheet First Day Cover - 1 August 2001.



Technical Information.
Date of issue: 4 July 2001.
The number of stamps: Six.
Denominations: 40c BungyJumping; 80c Thermal Lakes; 90c Sightseeing; $1.30 Fishing & $1.50 Sea-Kayaking; $2.00 Tramping. 
Stamps designed: Designworks, Wellington
Printer and Process: Southern Colour Print, Dunedin by offset lithography. 
The number of colours: Five.
Stamp size and format: 40.61mm x 30mm; horizontal.
Paper type: Gummed stamps:103gsm De la Rue red phosphor coated;  
Booklet stamps (40c & 90c): B110 self-adhesive paper;  
Booklet stamp ($1.50): B100 self-adhesive paper;  
Coil stamp: De La Rue red phospor coated and JAC non-detection 210 gsm self-adhesive paper.
Perforation gauge: 14.25
The number of stamps per sheet: 50 stamps; Self-adhesive booklets -Printer: Sprintpak, Australia.
Period of sale: These stamps remained on sale until 3 July 2002.


Technical information - Philanippon '01, Japan.
Date of issue: 1 August 2001.
Designer: Comm Arts Design, Wellington.
Printer and process: Southern Colour Print, Dunedin by offset lithography.
Number of colours: Four process coloursplus Black 3U2X
Stamp size and format: 35mm x 40.61mm horizontal
Paper type: De La Rue 103gsm red phosphor stamp paper
Period of sale: These stamps remained on sale until 31 July 2002.


Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
You can visit their website and Online Catalogue at, http://stampsnz.com/

Information & images for this post came from.