A new stamp set by New Zealand Post that depicts gorgeous 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 – drawing thousands of local and international tourists every year. This special stamp issue showcases these scenic locations in all their glory.
UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Sites are locations with cultural and/ or national significance as decreed by the World Heritage Committee.
New Zealand’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites stretch across the country. 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.
The six stamps in this beautiful photographic issue feature two locations from each of these picturesque sites – the Emerald Lakes, Franz Josef Glacier, Enderby Island, Mount Ngauruhoe, Lake MacKenzie and Campbell Island.
80c – Emerald Lakes, Tongariro National Park
Located in Tongariro National Park near the summit of Mount Tongariro, these distinctive lakes are named for their unusual colour. The Emerald Lakes can be seen along the Tongariro Crossing, a popular alpine track that crosses spectacular volcanic terrain, attracting thousands of visitors every year. Their vibrant colouring comes from dissolved minerals washed down from the thermal area known as the Red Crater.
$1.40 – Franz Josef Glacier, Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand
Franz Josef Glacier is one of the main attractions of the West Coast of New Zealand, drawing in up to 250,000 visitors per year. Although the glacier has retreated considerably, it still sits at around 12 kilometres long and less than 300 metres above sea level. Guided tours of the glaciers happen almost daily, and are a real drawcard for people interested in adventure tourism.
$2.00 – Enderby Island, New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands
Part of the Auckland Islands archipelago, Enderby Island’s climate has simultaneously made it inhospitable for humans and a place for unique species of flora and fauna to thrive. The area has been marked as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for its endemic seabirds, including the Auckland shag, Auckland teal, Auckland rail and Auckland snipe.
$2.20 – Mount Ngauruhoe, Tongariro National Park
Technically a second cone (or ‘parasitic cone’) of Mount Tongariro, Mount Ngauruhoe is New Zealand’s youngest and most active volcano, having first erupted around 2,500 years ago. The mountain is a popular climbing destination, with most people travelling up the western side on a track that takes approximately two and a half hours. Mount Ngauruhoe was one of two mountains used in The Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy as a stand-in for Mount Doom.
$2.50 – Lake MacKenzie, Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand
Lake MacKenzie sits in Te Wahipounamu, which was named a World Heritage Site in 1990 for its undisturbed flora, fauna and landscape. It’s considered an intact representation of what plants and animals would have existed on Gondwana. The collision between the Indo-Australian and Pacific continental tectonic plates created the striking mountain ranges, which lead to bodies of water like Lake MacKenzie being common in the picturesque area of Te Wahipounamu.
$3.00 – Campbell Island, New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands
Campbell Island is the southernmost island of the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands, sitting 700 kilometres south of New Zealand. Campbell Island is known for its ‘megaherbs’ – wildflowers characterised by their large size and colour, that have adapted to the harsh conditions of the Sub-Antarctic Islands. Winds can reach up to 96 kilometres per hour 100 days each year, with 325 days of rain per year and a daily temperature varying between 6°C and 12°C
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