Dunedin Railway Station.

A collection of stamps featuring this iconic building.

         After parliament buildings and the beehive, Dunedin Railway Station must be one of the buildings most featured on stamps. This beautiful building with its attractive light and dark stonework looks nothing like a station from one side and was once one of the busiest stations from the other. It was built at a time when Dunedin was booming with wealth from gold rushes of inland Otago. Now it is quieter, the station only seeing a few tourist trains each day and the building turned to other uses. But it is still the iconic building, the tourist attraction it always was. And it still makes a great subject for a stamp too.

For stamps on other railway subjects see Trains of New Zealand.

1982 Architecture - 30c Dunedin Railway Station.

30c - Dunedin Railway Station.

1982 Architecture.

2016 - Courage & Commitment 1916

2018 World War I Commemorative Book Series.

Back to 2015 The Spirit of ANZAC - 1915.                  Forward to 2017 The Darkest Hour - 1917.

         Here is the third annual instalment (of five) in New Zealand’s homage to the Great War (World War I). The multiple issue format is unchanged – a set of twenty stamps: a block of six, two se-tenant pairs and a sheetlet of ten; two miniature sheets, one of six and one of four; and a commemorative prestige booklet containing twelve booklet panes.

         By 1916 the scale of the Great War had been truly realised. At home, volunteers for service had slowed to a trickle and to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for more men to fight, conscription was introduced. In New Zealand, the first Anzac Day was observed a year after the Gallipoli landings. As the battle moved to the Western Front, the courage and commitment of the servicemen were sorely tested.

          Our main writer on these kinds of subjects has rejected this series completely so I've picked it up and will try and do what I can to make it fly, but I must confess to lacking knowledge of World War I.

2012 Matariki - Maori Rock Art.

          Māori rock art is not as well known as Maori wood carving but examples can be found throughout the country. The stamps in this issue depict examples of rock art documented in Te Waipounamu (the South Island) where more than 500 sites have been recorded to date.

           Rock art is applied to a variety of stone types, and while the common perception is that rock art was created using a burnt stick, the majority of the ‘drawings’ in Te Waipounamu appear to have been applied as pigment in solution. The style of Māori rock art is similar to that from wider Polynesia, suggesting that it was a practice brought to New Zealand by its earliest people.

           Māori rock art gives a glimpse of New Zealand’s history and culture, and the drawings included on the six self-adhesive stamps in this issue portray animals now long extinct, representations of everyday life and depictions of the supernatural.

          The rauru (spiral design) on the stamps pays respect to Rangi and Papa, and the light and knowledge that came about from their separation. The colours used in the rauru reflect the land and environment, and the koru represent growth and life and pay respect to the past, present and future.

New Zealand Wine Post - Wine Labels.

Weston's Winery bottle labels.

Why a collection of wine labels on a blog about postage stamps?

            Weston's Winery is a small winery located close to Dunedin in New Zealand's South Island. They were among the first to establish their own postal service when New Zealand deregulated the postal environment which opened the way for many small local posts to be established.

            The first New Zealand Wine Post (WinePost) stamps appeared in late 1990 and have continued to the present day. Along the way, many fine stamps have been issued. You will have found my series of posts on New Zealand Wine Post, well now I want to add one more page.

             This page goes back to the very early Weston's Winery labels and follows them through to when the WinePost started designing stamps. Those who have taken the time to study these stamps will notice similar themes and designs here. There is a progression from the earliest wine labels right through to the latest stamps. I believe this page gives my WinePost pages some history, perhaps you might say pre-history. Where there is a very obvious connection between a Weston's Wine Label and a Winepost stamp, the stamps have been included here for comparison.  

Stamps and many of the items found on these pages can be purchased from:-

New Zealand Wine Post. (Stampmetro) 

            Note: - I intend to only provide links to this page via the pages of our WinePost collection.

                           Collection Overview.

           Page One - New Zealand Wine Post 1990 - 1999.

           Page Two - New Zealand Wine Post   2000 - 2009.

            Page Three - New Zealand Wine Post 2010 - Today.

           Special Page - New Zealand Wine Post - Official Stamps.

           Special Page - New Zealand Wine Post - Wine Labels.

How the Kiwi Lost his Wings.

       When I was a child in the early 1960s, one of the then Government-owned radio stations, 1ZB had a children's request program every Sunday morning. Children could write in and request a story they wanted to hear. Every so often a Maori story would be included as well. I remember some of these such as Maui fishing up Aotearoa, Hinemoa and How the Kiwi Lost his Wings. I think out of these, this last one was my favourite.

       Now more recently I found a copy of this story so I've used it to help me create this post. I am so pleased I can share this story with you now. I question the role of two of the birds in this version but in the end, they don't affect the outcome much so I've decided to leave them in. They also have given me the chance to feature two extra stamps as well.

       The stamps have been chosen from various sources to add variety to this post. You will notice a couple of NZ Post definitive stamps; a health stamp; one of the popular round kiwi series; two stamps from local post - New Zealand Wine Post and one from the NZ Fish & Game Council. Links provided will take you to our posts on each of these.

For other Maori legends, see our index page - New Zealand Maori.

2016 Scenic Definitives

Definitive Tour.

Back to 2014 Scenic Definitives.                Forward to 2017 Scenic Definitives.

       New Zealand is famous for its beautiful and diverse scenery. From the wildness of rugged coastline to snow-capped mountain peaks, there is always a view to be seen and enjoyed.  This is the second issue of the new format where the details and Maori design have been moved to the left-hand side. There are 8 stamps featuring 6 different scenes (2 stamps being issued in an adhesive format as well for stamp books.)
       The purpose of this issue is, of course, definitive stamps, on sale until further notice. These stamps are an addition to the existing Scenic Definitives range and are designed to accommodate the changes in postage rates from 1 July 2016.

              

40c - Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo
(gummed)
Built on the shores of Lake Tekapo in 1935, the Church of the Good Shepherd is an iconic New Zealand location. This interdenominational church is a popular tourist destination, with people travelling from all over New Zealand and abroad to see the stunning views from within the church and to get married against the idyllic backdrop.

Provisional - Surcharges - Overprints.

        Here is another one of those types of stamps that are often overlooked or unloved, but it must be remembered that they still played an important role, filling gaps when other stamps were unavailable. Allan has asked me to go through his blog and collect them all together on one page.

        Most of the text here has been copied from his other posts but what is of more importance is to be able to view these stamps together as a thematic collection. I have also arranged these according to the date they were issued rather than include them in their original definitive issue, which in this case, would have left the arms overprints in their wrong positions. 

Kupe and The First Maori Settlers.

        Here is the story of Kupe and the First Maori Settlers of Aotearoa (New Zealand). It is a story of the voyage of the great waka (canoe), Matawhaorua, and the voyage of its successor Ngä-toki-matawhaorua; journeys across vast dangerous oceans to reach this land of Aotearoa. In the words of this story, we will meet the legendary voyager Kupe and others who sailed with him or after him. Mighty taniwha (dragon-like) and great ariki (great men of descent) had roles to play in this story as well. Finally, I hope to show you how closely this story is connected with the modern New Zealand of today.

        This post was something very different for me. While researching for other Maori stories that are featured on New Zealand postage stamps, I began to realise that there were a number of stories set around the legendary Kupe. I wondered if it might be possible to put these together into a single post, illustrated with postage stamps, while still being respectful to the oral traditions of the Maori People.

        There are a few variations in the stories of Kupe so I have decided where possible to follow the versions and histories recorded by the Northland iwi (tribes), in particular, Te Rarawa, Te Aupöuri and Ngä Puhi. I have also drawn on information and stamps that can be found in other posts on this blog, but I make no apology in repeating myself here if it adds to the story we are considering.

The illustration above - Kupe and his wife Kuramärotini discovering Aotearoa.  

By Paul Lloyd - Flickr: Kupe Group Statue, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15332835.

1998 - 1999 Scenic Stamps.

1998 Scenic Skies.

Have you ever laid back and looked up at the sky, or maybe sat on the sand dunes at the beach and watched a sunset. The sky is forever changing, always there as a back-drop to New Zealand's beautiful scenery. Why not have an issue of stamps in which the sky is the star attraction? That is what NZ Post decided to do in 1998.
 For this issue, photographers have captured the clear blue skies and dramatic sunrises and sunsets that form the canopy above New Zealand; an aspect of the country's landscape that many of us take for granted.

40c - Sunrise over Cambridge.

Derek Morrison captures the grace, richness and awesome power of the sun, as it creeps above the horizon of the Kaimai Ranges near Cambridge to bath Waikato farmland in light. These mornings when the sun catches the clouds like this always look beautiful but the day that follows will often bring the rain.

1984 Antarctic Research

In the last 100 years, 'Terra Australis Incognita', the 'Hidden Southern Land', has been slowly unveiling its secrets after spending a lifetime in forbidding silence. It's 14 million square kilometres of ice and snow is described as being the driest, coldest and windiest place in the world. Yet, undeniably, this cruel continent commands an air of awesome significance and supreme beauty.

On the southern most tip of Ross Island, located on the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf on the Antarctic continent, is Scott Base, established in 1957 to support New Zealand's participation in the International Geophysical Year scientific research programme.  Since then it has been continuously occupied by scientists and support staff.  Other bases have been established including Vanda Station on the shores of Lake Vanda in the Dry Valley region of Victoria Land on the Antarctic continent proper, and at Cape Bird on the northern tip of Ross Island, 100 kilometres from Scott Base.  The seasons govern the population and the work carried out but always the base is manned.

2016 Queen Elizabeth 90th Birthday.

          On 21 April 2016, Queen Elizabeth II turned 90 years old, making her the first British monarch to reach this impressive milestone. Queen Elizabeth II has achieved many incredible milestones as the reigning monarch, including being New Zealand’s and Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, being the longest-lived sovereign in history and being married longer than any other monarch.

         To celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday, New Zealand Post created this very special stamp issue. Included in this issue are three stamps, housed within a unique miniature sheet. Each stamp contains three images ‒ simply tilt the miniature sheet and watch the images change! The images take us from the Queen’s christening in 1926 right through to her attendance at the 2015 Anzac commemorations in London. As you tilt the miniature sheet, the captions beneath the stamps change too ‒ resulting in a comprehensive view of the Queen’s lifetime. The stamps are featured in a classic stylised gold-gilded frame against a royal purple background, making this a truly regal stamp.

2013 Matariki - The Koru.

         When the star cluster known as Matariki appears in the night sky it signals the Maori New Year and a time of new beginnings. The Matariki 2013 stamp issue celebrates the koru - a pattern symbolising new life and regeneration.

          Matariki is a significant event for Māori and is widely acknowledged to signal a change of seasons. In traditional Māori society, Matariki was believed to foretell whether the year ahead would be plentiful. It was also a time of festivity when communities would come together to reflect on the past and look ahead to new beginnings.

          The message of new beginnings is represented in the koru pattern, which is derived from an unfurling silver fern frond. Each of the six self-adhesive stamps in this issue incorporates the koru pattern along with aspects of traditional Māori culture that have particular significance during the time of Matariki.

1996 - 1997 Scenic Stamps

         Gardens and Trains are the feature of this post. The next two issues of our series on the scenic stamp issues of New Zealand.

 

        There are some amazing gardens in parks throughout the country. Every town and city seems to have them. Some are large parks covering many hectares while others are tiny gardens tucked away in some unused corner. All have their own beauty and individual identity, being enjoyed by many visitors each year. The 1996 Scenic Issue features five of these more well-known parks.

         There is something about travelling by train. Its different to flying, more in contact with the surrounding scenery. New Zealand has some great trains, an attraction to both overseas visitors and locals a like. I've only travelled on two of these, the trans-alpine between Christchurch & Greymouth and the North Island Main-trunk between Auckland & Wellington. This issue features six of them, some still running today and some discontinued. What I like about these stamps is that they don't just show trains, but rather trains in scenery of New Zealand.        

Famous Maori on Stamps

      For those who have accidently stumbled upon this page, this is a sub-index for our New Zealand Maori Index. It is our intention that it will soon become buried in this blog and only be accessed via the Maori Index.

Return to New Zealand Maori Index.

Famous Maori People on Stamps.

2016 Matariki - Kete

         In the Māori language Matariki is the name of the Pleiades star cluster, in the constellation of Taurus the Bull. The first rising of the Pleiades and of Rigel (Puanga in Māori) occurs just prior to sunrise in late May or early June, and this indicates that the old year has ended and the new year has begun. The annual appearance of the seven stars of ‘Matariki’ (or the Pleiades star cluster) signals a time for renewal, reflection and celebration!
         The actual time for celebrating Matariki varies depending on the iwi (tribe). It has become common practice for various private and public institutions to celebrate Matariki over the period of a week or month anywhere from early June to late July.

         I have been looking in the eastern sky just before dawn hoping to spot Matariki but this will prove difficult since I live near the western side of the large city of Auckland. But if you look for it later in the year, first find Orion the Great Hunter also called The Pot by some in New Zealand. Those three stars that make up his belt are very distinctive. Then move your attention ahead of Orion towards the west. The Pleiades will appear as a small group of seven stars very close together but if you use binoculars or a small telescope many more stars can be seen in this spectacular star cluster. 

See our Matariki Collection.                      See our Index - New Zealand Maori.

1977 Anniversaries

         Most of the stamps featured in this blog are mint (unused) so this time I've decided to do something different. Everything on this page except some of the errors are used stamps. So we can still enjoy the designs on the stamp themselves I have purposely selected examples with lighter cancels.

          In 1977 the annual Anniversary Issue featured 5 stamps. In this case the coat of arms of each organisation took centre place in the designs. In the case of the AA (10c value) I'm not sure that could be called a coat of arms as it is rather more like an emblem.  
         The 3 x 8c stamps were printed se tenant on one sheet while the 2 x 10c stamps were printed together on a second sheet. This gave us the two strips as seen above and on the First Day Cover further down.

2008 Matariki - Maori Culture.

         For the Māori people, the night skies in June traditionally have huge significance: they herald the dawn of a new Māori year. In te reo Maori, yhe Māori language, Matariki is the name of the Pleiades star cluster, in the constellation of Taurus the Bull.  In traditional times, Matariki was a season to celebrate new beginnings and was important for agriculture in establishing the correct time to plant crops. It was also a good time to instruct young people in the lore of the land and the forest as being the colder months much more time was spent indoors. The constellation is also believed to have been used by navigators. See our post -  2007 Southern Skies. 

         The first rising of the Pleiades and of Rigel (Puanga in Māori) occurs just prior to sunrise in late May or early June, and this indicates that the old year has ended and the new year has begun. The annual appearance of the seven stars of ‘Matariki’ (or the Pleiades star cluster) signals a time for renewal, reflection and celebration!
         The actual time for celebrating Matariki varies depending on the iwi (tribe). It has become common practice for various private and public institutions to celebrate Matariki over the period of a week or month anywhere from early June to late July.

         This is the first in a series of annual Matariki stamp issues, exploring different aspects of Maori culture and heritage. In this first issue we take a fascinating journey through Maori history and culture. We celebrated not only the constellation itself but also connections that the Maori spiritual world has to the sea, to the land and to family (whānau). We also learn about the Maori worldview in which the gods, Sky Father Ranginui, Earth Mother Papatūānuku and their children, personify the dramatic forces of nature.

See our Matariki Collection.                      See our Index - New Zealand Maori.

1975 Definitives / Pictorials - Part Five.

 Definitive Tour.

Back to 1970 Pictorial Definitives.                                Forward to 1980 - 1981 Definitives.

Errors in the Higher Values.

       Finally we come to flaws and errors found in the higher values. I struggled to find a good variety of flaws in these stamps. So this page seems to show a lot more stamps offset on their back than I would have liked. I will continue to look for more and include when I can.

          Series Index.
1975 Pictorials - Part One.  An overview and history of these issues.

1975 Pictorials - Part Two.  The stamp designs and subjects in more detail.

1975 Pictorials - Part Three.   Flaws & errors found in the 9 low value roses.

1975 Pictorials - Part Four.   Flaws & errors found in the 10c Queen Elizabeth.

1975 Pictorials - Part Five.   Flaws & errors found in the higher values.

1975 Definitives / Pictorials - Part Four.

 Definitive Tour.

Back to 1970 Pictorial Definitives.                                Forward to 1980 - 1981 Definitives.

1977 10c Queen Elizabeth II & 1979 14c Overprint.

       This post is was originally published as a separate post but we have decided include it where it should be, in this series on the 1975 Pictorials. While we repeat some of the information included in Part Two, we've decided to leave this page as close as possible to the one we originally published.

       This something a bit different. Instead of featuring a set or series of stamps I am going to be looking at only one stamp and an overprint added two years later. So first, lets me introduce you to our stamp. There she is to the right - the '1977 10c QE II.' 

        Intended as an addition to the 1975 Definitives, the 10c depicting Queen Elizabeth II, was issued in 1977 to meet a demand cause by a change in postal rates. Valued at the new letter postage rate of 10c meant this was a very common and well used stamp. In 1979 another change in postal rates meant the 10c value was no longer required for ordinary letters so the stamp was overprint with two solid bars over the old value and a new value of "14c." This type of stamp is commonly known as a Provisional. There is the younger sister to the left 1979 14c QE II overprint.

       So that is the basic story of this stamp. One design and a value overprint two years later. Since both these stamps were commonly used, large numbers printed and further reprints required. What makes this stamp so interesting is the large number of printing errors which can be found in both the original stamp and in her provisional sister.

1975 Pictorials / Definitives - Part Three

 Definitive Tour.

Back to 1970 Pictorial Definitives.                                Forward to 1980 - 1981 Definitives.

Errors in the Roses (Low values).

         This post will be one of three posts on the flaws found in the 1975 Pictorial / Definitive issue. On this page we will be looking at the nine lower value stamps. In my next post I will look at flaws found in the 10c Queen Elizabeth the in my third post I will feature errors in the high values.
       
          Finding good images of stamp errors can be a problem, but when we come to dealing with image sizes we get into some real problems. Its been decided that in this blog, keeping stamps to scale is not as important as displaying them to their best advantage.

Antarctica Post - Page One

        Antarctica Post has issued a new stamp each year since 2002. These stamps are designed and issued with the help of New Zealand Wine Post. Their stamps secure special delivery between the USA bases, South Pole Station or McMurdo Station to Antarctica Post Agency in Dunedin. Once the letter reaches New Zealand it is forwarded using other postal services.

         As well as providing a postal service they also have an eye for the collector market as well. They offer a service where for $10.00 they will provide a letter or postcard cancelled at the South Pole and sent to you via New Zealand. Examples of these can be seen on this page.

         There will be some smaller, poor quality stamps in this collection until we can find better replacements. We considered it was better to present a complete collection rather than go for a part collection of good quality stamps. Like we did with our NZ Wine Post collection, this post will be published partly finished with further work continuing after that. For updates see our 'What is New on this Blog.'

Our collection of Antarctica Post stamps has continued to grow until now the decision has been made to establish the second page.     

Go Forward to Antarctica Post - Page Two.    (Issues 2010 - Today)

1975 Pictorials / Definitives - Part Two

Definitive Tour.

Back to 1970 Pictorial Definitives.                                Forward to 1980 - 1981 Definitives.

 

The Designs.

        The lower values of the 1975 Pictorial / Definitives were nine stamps featuring roses grown in New Zealand. To capture the beauty of each rose, a larger almost square format was used. While creating an impressive set of stamps, this led to problems with vending machines. At first the older 1970 stamps were used but by 1977 as postage rates continued to rise new values were created by overprinting these older stamps. (1970 Definitive / Pictorials - Part One.) Finally in 1978 a new set of four values were issued especially for use in vending machines.
       In 1976 a four value issue of Maori artifacts was added, then in 1977 came the 10c Queen Elizabeth II, with the high value seashells following in 1978 & 1979. In 1981 the $5 Beehive was issued. There is some debate among us writers on whether this last stamp should be included in this series of issues.   

1975 Pictorials / Definitives - Part One.

 Definitive Tour.

Back to 1970 Pictorial Definitives.                                Forward to 1980 - 1981 Definitives.

A Brief History of this Issue.

By 1975 New Zealand ready for a new series of definitive stamps. The 1970 Definitives had used the practice of issuing the stamps over series of issues.

The 1975 Definitives took this even further to become a series of almost unrelated issues over a number of years. This is the last big definitive set so will be the last time we do a large series of pages on one particular definitive issue. The 1975 Definitive issue is usually listed together in many stamp catalogues but I notice NZ Post list them on their web site as separate issues. From now on definitive issues will be treated like other stamp issues being listed in this blog by their issue date.

This series began in 1975 once again began with the lower values, this time a set of nine values with a common theme of roses. It would be 1976 before the next issue of three values, Maori Artifacts would be issued. 1977 saw the series go back to pick up the 10c Queen Elizabeth before continuing on with the higher value seashells in 1978 & 1979. Along the way there were some provisional overprints and special issues for stamp vending machines that we have also included on this page.

1968 - Tarapex 69 Capt. Cook Labels

       

          The organizing committee of the Tarapex 69 Stamp Exhibition decided to issue a miniature sheet of four labels for promotion of the exhibition and fund raising. The theme of three of these labels was Captain Cook since 1969 was going to be the Bi-centenary of Cook discovering New Zealand.

         This post is a small collection of this miniature sheet showing the exhibition cancels and some printing errors. There are also other covers and items related to both Tarapex '69 and Tarapex '86. While some might consider exhibition labels to be outside the field of postage stamps, it has been the policy of this blog to explore other areas of postal history as well. In saying this, we consider that labels that accompany postage stamps on a cover, must be well within the scope of this blog.

       You will notice that these labels did not carry any postal value. They were only used to promote the exhibition and raise funding through souvenirs. The later issue for Tarapex '86 did carry a postal value.

1975 Anniversaries

         This 1975 Commemorative stamp issue commemorated the anniversaries identified below. The 40th Anniversary of the New Zealand Crippled Children's Society (Inc) and the 50th Anniversary of the Women's Division Federated Farmers of New Zealand Inc (designed by V Jepsen), and International Women's Year and Centenary of the Otago Medical School (designed by Allan Mitchell).

       Four stamps by two designers have given us an issue that stands out among the issues of the 1970s. The stamps have a very simple format too. A large colourful design with a white section down the left side showing each organization's symbol, title and dates of the anniversary being celebrated.