|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
On May 7, the vast abundance of scenic delights, from majestic snow-capped
mountains to glorious white-sand beaches, from ancient glaciers to hissing
geysers and boiling mud pools, of this 270,000 square kilometres country
are celebrated again oh five new definitive stamps, depicting scenery from
both the North and the South Islands.
50c - Ailsa Mountains Towering over 3500 metres above sea level, the Ailsa Mountains form a magnificent western backdrop to Lake Wakatipu, in the South Island's Fiordland region. The mountains are drained by the Greenstone and Caples Rivers, whose waters contain a rich resource of rainbow and brown trout and whose valleys and surrounding beech forests are popular choices for tramping and camping expeditions. $1.00 - Coromandel
$1.50 - Arrowtown When gold was discovered in central Otago's Arrow River in the 1860s, thousands of miners flocked to the district. 'Arrowtown', established in 1862, soon earned itself a reputation for lawlessness and constant squabbles over claims for gold. Today, more than 100 years after the gold rush, Arrowtown's original buildings have been restored and the 'living historic town' is a popular tourist destination. $2.00 - Tongariro National Park Located in the central North Island, Tongariro is New Zealand's oldest national park. It includes and protects three major active volcanoes - Mt Ruapehu, Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Tongariro - as well as forests, tranquil lakes and a desert-like plateau. In this strongly contrasting landscape you'll find hot springs and winter snowfields, alpine herbs and dense beech forests, as well as many native birds, animals and insects. $5.00 - Castlepoint This small holiday settlement on the North Island's Wairarapa coast
is dominated by a white-coloured headland named 'The Castle' by explorer
Captain James Cook. With its fossil-rich reef, sheltered lagoon, extensive
beach and undulating sand dunes, Castlepoint is a popular location for
water-based recreational pursuits - and a visiting point for dolphins,
fur seals, sea birds and the occasional small whale.
|
||||||||||||||
Original information and image from New
Zealand Post
|