2018 Wahine 50 Anniversary

          When the Wahine departed Lyttelton Harbour at 8.40pm on 9 April 1968, there were 734 passengers and crew on board. The overnight voyage to Wellington was nothing new to Captain HG Robertson: the often-turbulent Cook Strait was familiar in all its ill-behaved weather and swells. However, on this evening no-one was prepared for the raging storm that occurred when Cyclone Giselle swept down the coast, colliding with a southerly front. The result was one of the worst recorded storms in New Zealand’s maritime history.

          In the early hours of the morning on 10 April 1968, Wellington Harbour was encroaching on the near horizon. With the wind blowing at 50 knots, a common stiff breeze in Wellington terms, Captain Robertson made the decision to enter the narrow entrance to the harbour. On entering, the wind suddenly picked up and dramatically increased to a powerful 100 knots. Huge waves slammed the ship, forcing it towards Barrett Reef. With the radar system having failed, the Captain attempted to manoeuvre the ship back out to sea.
          The storm continued to wreak havoc, dragging the ship along the reef, causing further damage, and preventing rescuers from approaching it. Its ferocity also delayed the captain’s decision to abandon ship, as he believed that people would be safer on board.
          The first survivors began washing up on Seatoun foreshore, and others were plucked out of the water by boats waiting nearby. Most of those tossed into the waves were swept to Eastbourne’s rocky foreshore, where slips prevented rescuers reaching them quickly, and many suffered from being exposed to the harsh, deteriorating conditions. Many would ask how such a tragedy could occur right on the doorstep of the nation's capital. But it did and while the storm raged, many of the people in Wellington at the time went to watch the foundering of the Wahine unfold.
          News reports quickly spread across the country making this one of the most documented tragedies of our time. These stamps show the Wahine in all her glory and the sequence of how the day played out. The newspaper headings on each stamp are fictitious but acknowledge the role media played in telling the story.

Captain Cook Stamps of New Zealand.

A collection of New Zealand stamps and postmarks associated with Captain Cook. This page should be considered as an ongoing project as new items could be added as we discover them.

1906 Christchurch Exhibition.

1906  Christchurch Exhibition.

3d - Captain Cook's Landing.

The dual colour three penny stamp depicts the landing of Captain Cook. on his first voyage to New Zealand; at Poverty Bay on the east coast of the North Island on the 7th of October 1769. This first meeting led to the deaths of six local Maori during skirmishes with the crew, due to a misinterpretation of the traditional Maori challenge. Cook was unable to gain many of the provisions he and his crew needed at the bay, and for this reason, gave it its name.

1969 Captain Cook Bicentenary.

This issue commemorates the bi-centenary of Captain Cook's first voyage to New Zealand.

The Captain Cook Bicentenary issue marked two firsts. For the first time in New Zealand, the set appeared in miniature sheet form with the values se-tenant. It is also the first time that embossing was used on a New Zealand stamp to make the portrait on each stamp stand out.

The Four Values.  

1959 Anniversaries.

       The 1959 Anniversaries are actually three separate issues that appeared during the first part of the year. We have decided to combine them into one post including the issue date under the title of each issue.

       First is the 1959 Boy Scouts Pan-Pacific Jamboree, a one stamp issue marking the large jamboree held in Auckland. The second issue is a three stamp set celebrating the Marlborough Centennial. Finally we have another one stamp issue marking 100 years from the idea for the establishing of the Red Cross.

       We have also included covers and First Day Covers, printing and perforation flaws as well.

2012 - Great Voyages of New Zealand

As a small nation surrounded by water, New Zealand has relied on ships and vessels as a means of transport for as long as it's been inhabited. The 'Great Voyages of New Zealand' stamp issue features five vessels that have played a part in shaping New Zealand.

1894 The Wreck of the SS Wairarapa.

         In the third worst shipwreck ever in New Zealand waters, 121 lives were lost when the Union Steam Ship Company steamer SS Wairarapa struck Miners Head, on the northern tip of Great Barrier Island, 90 km north-east of Auckland. As the island’s only contact with the outside world was via a weekly steamer, news of the shipwreck took three days to reach Auckland. This highlighted the need for better communication between the island and the mainland. A need that would eventually lead to the Great Barrier Pigeongram Services.

1948 Otago Centennial

          In 1948, the settlement of the Otago Province and the founding of the city of Dunedin on 23 March 1848 were commemorated by four stamps depicting the arrival of the immigrant ships, the town of Cromwell, the First Dunedin Church and the University of Otago. The stamps are classic James Berry designs, being full of fine detail. The 1d is famous for its colour shifts of the blue centre, examples of which can been seen below.

1997 - Millennium Series I - Discoverers.

The first issue in the Millennium Series, leading up to the Year 2000, was called Discoverers. It had the theme of discovering and exploring New Zealand.

Millennium Series Overview.                   Millennium Series II

I was very impressed with this issue when I started to writing about it for this post. It is about six early explorers who visited New Zealand. Of course if we make a list of explorers of New Zealand, the first on our list would be Captain James Cook. There he is on the first stamp, the 40c value. 
The next two stamps are about the Maori explorers and discovers of New Zealand, Maui and Kupe. The final three stamps show the three other famous explorers from this early period. They are two Frenchmen, Jean de Surville, Dumont d'Urville and a Dutchman, Abel Tasman. 
Six Famous men, six amazing stories, six great stamps.

                    

40c - James Cook.                                                  80c - Kupe.                                                 $1.00 - Maui. 

                    

$1.20 - Jean de Surville.                               $1.50 - Dumont d'Urville.                                       $1.80 - Abel Tasman.              

1988 - 1990 Heritage Series.

         First Heritage Series.                Second Heritage Series.                 Third Heritage Series.

          During the late 80s and early 90s, there were three of the Heritage series produced by New Zealand Post. This page gives a brief look, an overview of the issues comprising the first series, issued during the period 1988 - 1990.  These six issues are part of the 'Heritage' series leading up to the 1990 150th anniversary celebrations in New Zealand. The year 1990 marked 150 years since sovereignty was vested in the English crown. 

Note:- This page should be considered as summary or overview with links to each

 issue posted in greater detail.

1990 Heritage Set 4 - The Ships.

Back to Set 3 - The Sea.                         Forward to Set 5 - The Achievers.

Heritage Series Overview.

This issue titled "The Ships" was is the fourth in the 'Heritage ' stamp series leading up to the 1990 150th anniversary celebrations in New Zealand.

 The stamps were a salute to the vessels that brought Polynesian voyagers, settlers and the other immigrants that determined our ancestry. These vessels have been selected, not because of their famous voyages or discoveries but for the contribution they made to New Zealand Society we know today.  From voyaging canoes to steamships, these craft carried the first New Zealanders through dangerous unchartered waters to an unseen landfall across the world.

1989 Heritage Set 3 - The Sea.

Back to Set 2 - The People.                                Forward to Set 4 - The Ships.

Heritage Series Overview.

This issue titled 'The Sea' was another in the 'Heritage ' series leading up to the 1990 150th anniversary celebrations in New Zealand. The theme of this six value set is the sea and oceans. New Zealand is totally surrounded by ocean so the sea has played, and continues to play, a significant part in our island life. This is shown in the variety of ways New Zealanders use and relate to the sea.

Armed Services 1968 - 1987

           For this post, we will feature four stamp issues with military themes. The first of these is a three value set, issued in 1968, 25 years after World War II. It featured three values, one for each of the three New Zealand Armed Forces. Then we have three sets issued during the 1980s, each with four values, each depicting one of the three armed forces.
           All of these sets are shown in my Military ANZAC collection (See the bar above) but on this post, I want to look at them in more detail along with adding a few other items of interest too.

          I personally think all the stamps shown on this page have interesting and well laid out designs. The theme is a popular one and so these sets would look good in a collection of New Zealand stamps.

1970s Vintage Transport Series.

       During the mid 1970s New Zealand issued a yearly set of stamp featuring vintage transport. I think it might be better if we view these sets in one group rather than individual issues.  I have combined these issues to make and interesting series of 30 stamps depicting the development of early transport in New Zealand. Maybe one day I might return to view each issue in greater detail.

   

See the 1984 - 1986 Vintage Transport Issues.

1920 Victory & 1946 Peace

        I have been interested in the two sets of stamps issued at the end of the first and second World Wars. The first one in 1920 is called the Victory Issue while the second one in 1946 is known as the Peace Issue. Why the difference? This post is going to compare these two issues and try to find why they are so different considering they both mark the end a major war.

1920  Victory

For more see military /ANZAC - Part One.
First, the Victory Issue which marked the end of World War I, a war which was said to have been the war to end all wars. No one would have believed that 20 years later an even bigger war would be raging.

       
             Green - ½d                                                                                              Red - 1d
Both of these stamps carry a similar theme of the British Lion representing the British Empire, with the allegorical figure of Peace.