2015 - UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

         New Zealand is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand, Tongariro National Park, and the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands. Tongariro National Park is located in the central North Island, Te Wahipounamu is located in the south-west of the South Island and the Sub-Antarctic Islands are found south of the South Island.

         This special stamp issue showcases these scenic locations in all their glory. Six colourful stamps, two of each area combine to make this one of the better stamp issues New Zealand has released.

         I have chosen to use extra large images to display the full beauty of these stamps then lower down smaller images accompany more detailed captions on the views shown. I know our blog owner Allan, is against using such large images but I feel they are needed here.

1972 - 1973 Scenic Stamps.

1972 Scenic Stamps - Lakes.

See the full collection Scenic Stamps Series - Part One.
The first issue of what was to become the annual Scenic Stamp Issue appeared in 1972. This was a four value set depicting Scenic Lakes. 

                                    

2012 Scenic Definitives.

Definitive Tour.

Back to 2009/2010 Scenic Definitives.                                       Forward to 2014 Scenic Definitives.

        Since the 2014 Scenic Definitive Issue has already been covered in this blog, this post will be the last in our Scenic Definitive Series until a new issue appears. We are planning to link them or list them n some way so readers can navigate through them.

        In 2012 three new denominations were added to the current Scenic Definitive Series to cover upcoming changes in postal rates. This stunning new stamp issue showcased three of New Zealand’s most picturesque locations – Cape Reinga, Stewart Island and Lake Matheson.

  

  Also included in this issue were two of the gummed stamps appearing in an adhesive format as well. Earlier in February, another adhesive, $2.40 Lake Rotorua had already been issued, making the six stamps shown here.

2004 - 2006 Tourism Definitives.

Definitives Tour.

Back to 2003 Scenic Definitives                 Forward to 2007 Scenic Definitives.

       These two issues are included in the Scenic Definitive section of Campbell Patterson's Catalogue but to me they seem like they should be separate. They were put like that in the catalogue because they appear as a similar design to the definitives around that time, but I think that the fact they are marketed and named as stamps celebrating New Zealand Tourism means they should be treated as being different.
        So what I have decided to do is to include them in my Scenic Definitive Series but place them both in their own post. In this way I think I've covered both options.

2004 Tourism Issue.
Tourism is an important industry in New Zealand. I lot of money and effort is spent promoting this country as a tourist destination. Doing a set of stamps helps too, particularly when the stamps are sent overseas. This is the first of two issues, each showing six different scenes of tourist locations around New Zealand.


$1.50 - Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown.

2003 Scenic Definitives.

Definitives Tour.

Back to 2000 Scenic Definitives.                     Forward to 2004 - 2006 Tourism Definitives.

       The 2003 Scenic Definitive issue consisted five gummed stamps and one in adhesive format. They were an add-on to those issued in 2000. Again scenes were selected were from various parts of New Zealand. The issue included a limited edition with silver foil in the NZ Post silver fern logo. Lower down under 2004 we have two further designs and three changed to adhesives.

          

50c - Ailsa Mountains.                                   $1.00 - Coromandel.

Mitre Peak, Milford Sound.

Hi! My name is Asami.
        You may not have noticed but I have been doing a lot of work on this blog. I maintain the Health Stamp pages above because they contain internal links that can get rewritten by BlogSpot. I have also created that large index system that many of you are now using. Now I have been asked to do some thematic collections, collections of stamps with a similar theme.

        Recently Allan wrote that he thought there were five stamps showing that famous landmark, Mitre Peak, Milford Sound. I actually found 10 stamps so today I will be putting them into this collection for you.

First the subject of this post - Mitre Peak.
       Part of the reason for its being so famous is its location. Sitting across from the main Milford Sound tourist centres, it is a stunning sight rising near vertically to 5,560 feet (1,690 m), i.e. just over a mile, from the water of the sound. It is said to extend further under the water making the mountain much higher than its officially recorded height. The peak is actually a closely grouped set of five peaks, although from most easily accessible viewpoints it appears as a single point.
       The distinctive shape of the peak gives the mountain its name, after the mitre headwear of Christian bishops. It was named by Captain John Lort Stokes of the HMS Acheron. The Māori name for the peak is Rahotu. 

1995 - 1997 Scenic Definitives

Definitives Tour.

Back to 1994 $20 Mt Cook Definitive.                              Forward to 2000 Scenic Definitives.

        In 1995 New Zealand started issuing a new series of scenic definitives. This series continues until today with some amazing stamps being released over the years. Take that stamp to the right of the mighty kauri tree Tane Mahuta 'Lord of the Forest'. A stunning photograph with so much detail on such a little stamp. Over a period of time, I intend to post all of these stamps on this blog in a series of pages like this one below. 

        Tracking modern Definitive issues has become a lot harder as they are no longer issued in larger sets like they once were. So a collector has the choice of trying to group them over a period of a few years or show them in his collection according to date of issue. In presenting groups of stamps in this blog, we have a similar problem.
        (You may wish to check out our post on 1985 - 1993 Native Bird Definitives to see how much it took to sort that lot out!) 

       This post will cover the Scenic Definitives issued over the period 1995 - 1997. There were other definitives issued during that period but we have chosen to present only the scenic ones. The first stamp in this collection appeared in October 1995 and the last one in February 1997. Not a long period I know - a little over 1 year but there were some great stamps.

       We have also included the three miniature sheets, issued for stamp exhibitions, that also featured these stamps. There are two other items, a special booklet issue and some adhesive stamps too. I also plan to throw in any other items of interest that I might come across as I prepare this post.

1935 Pictorials

Definitive Tour.

Back to George V Definitives.                               Forward to George VI Definitives.

The 1935 Pictorial Issue.

         By 1931 several of the plates for the King George V definitive stamps were noticeably worn. Given that the design of the 1926 Admirals issue had been severely criticised, the authorities decided to try the same approach which had worked so well in 1898 - a design competition for a new set of pictorial stamps.

         Entries were divided into New Zealand subject groups: fauna, scenery, Maori art, agricultural, history and sport, then examples were chosen for the stamps being issued. Over 1,500 entries were received and designs from eleven contributors were included in the final set. Some unsuccessful entries can be seen at the bottom of this post.

         The stamps suffered a series of delays though - printing by photogravure was abandoned in favour of line etching with the exception of the ninepenny stamp which was the first New Zealand stamp printed by offset lithography. There were also issues with paper quality and the shilling stamp design was changed again just before issue. Finally, in 1935 the set was ready to be issued.

1898 The First Pictorial Issue.

Definitive Tour.

Back to Sideface Issues.                          Forward to Universal / Dominion.

       This fascinating stamp issue holds a special interest for stamp collectors as it was among the world's earliest pictorial definitive issues. The issue followed the lead of New South Wales where a similar pictorial issue had just been released. 

        The decision to break away from featuring stamps with Queen Victoria's portrait was a bold one and not without some risk of offending public opinion. A design competition was held that attracted over 2,400 entries. The selection criteria - 'to include a representation of characteristic or notable New Zealand scenery in the design and a stamp issue symbolic of the land.'

           The quality of the winning designs was so great that a decision was made to print the issue using the more expensive recess printing method, with the anticipation that costs would be covered many times over by sales to stamp collectors. The stamps were engraved in England along with initial printings and subsequently printed in New Zealand from new plates supplied from England. The issue featured the same denominations as the Second Side-faces with a new 9d stamp added for overseas parcels, and two and five shilling stamps added for parcels, fiscals and telegrams.

2014 Scenic Definitives

  Definitive Tour.

Back to 2012 Scenic Definitives.                                        Forward to 2016 Scenic Definitives.

      May 7th, 2014 saw the release of a set of five definitive stamps to meet planned changes in postal rates. Three of these stamps were produced using the normal gummed format while another two were produced as adhesive stamps. One of these adhesive stamps was also produced in a gummed version as part of a special miniature sheet. Sound confusing? I will explain this further when we begin looking at the individual stamps.

        There have been a lot of these scenic definitives over the years and many have turned out to be terrible looking stamps. The small format of a postage stamp does not show a lot of detail so what I think makes a good scenic stamp is to capture an interesting foreground combined with a not too crowded distant scene. Some of the stamps below achieve this very well while others don't.

         For me the best was $2.00 - Mount Taranaki, with the cows grazing in the foreground and the mountain behind, this makes a great scene of typical New Zealand. $1.60 - Moeraki Boulders is good too as it captures these unusual boulders. On the other hand I believe the $2.50 - Pancake Rocks do not show us the full effect of this amazing place.