The 1987 Scenic Issue commemorated the centennial of the National Parks movement in New Zealand and depicted four quite different parks:
Issue information
Tongariro and Urewera in the North Island and Mt Cook and Fiordland in the South Island.
In 1887, Te Heuheu Tukino IV, paramount chief of the Ngati Tuwharetoa with the consent of many other chiefs, gifted to the people of New Zealand the tribally-owned land within a radius of one mile of the three volcanic peaks of Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu. The land was given on the understanding that it would be kept sacred under the protection of Queen Victoria and on the condition that it would be preserved as a national park. Originally 2630 hectares in area, today the park has grown to almost 80,000 hectares.
Tongariro remained the only national park until the turn of the century when the Egmont National Park was established in October 1900.
The administering body, the National Parks and Reserves Authority, operates under the 1980 National Parks Act which spells out the concept of protection coupled with the right of public entry - "to preserve in perpetuity as national parks, for their intrinsic worth and for the benefit, use and enjoyment of the public, areas of New Zealand that contain scenery of such distinctive quality, ecological systems, or natural features so beautiful, unique or scientifically important that their preservation is in the national interest".
Miniature Sheet - $1.70_b
The 1987 scenic miniature sheet was also produced with a Capex'86 overprint to mark New Zealand Post's attendance at the Capex'86 World Philatelic Exhibition in Toronto, Canada.
Product Listing for 1987 Scenic - National Parks
Click on image to enlarge.
| Image | Title | Description | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
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Single Stamp |
Single 70c 'Urewera National Park' gummed stamp. Urewera National Park is one of the most beautiful areas of New Zealand. It has the largest remaining area of untouched lowland forest in the North Island as well as two jewels of lakes (Waikaremoana and Waikareiti) and a wealth of native birds, some of which have retreated to the park from threatened habitats. |
$0.70 |
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Single Stamp |
Single 80c 'Mt Cook National Park' gummed stamp. Mt Cook National Park is a mixture of ranges and deeply cut valleys, many of the latter carrying enormous glaciers. Mt Cook itself is the nation's highest peak and the pivot of New Zealand's Main Divide, the Southern Alps. |
$0.80 |
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Single Stamp |
Single 85c 'Fiordland National Park' gummed stamp. Fiordland National Park contains scenery on a spectacular scale. The mountain mass of Fiordland was attacked in successive ice ages by giant glaciers which gouged out long valleys that were later flooded by the sea. Wildlife is abundant and the park is the only known habitat of one of the world's rarest birds, the takahe. It also holds a remnant population of kakapo, another endangered native bird. |
$0.85 |
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Single Stamp |
Single $1.30 'Tongariro National Park' gummed stamp. Tongariro National Park easily accessible due to its central North Island location, is the country's oldest. It is dominated by three geologically young volcanic cones, Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu, all rated as active volcanoes. Ngauruhoe, a remarkably symmetrical cone that has grown on the one shoulder of Tongariro, belches fumes and gases almost constantly. |
$1.30 |
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Miniature Sheet |
Mint, used or cancelled miniature sheet. Incorporating the $1.30 Tongariro National Park stamp the sheet was issued in support of New Zealand 1990 World Philatelic Exhibition. |
$1.70 |
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First Day Cover | First day cover with stamps affixed. Cancelled on the first day of issue. | $3.82 |
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Miniature Sheet First Day Cover | First day cover with miniature sheet affixed. Cancelled on the first day of issue. | $1.87 |
Technical information
| Date of issue: | 17 June 1987 |
|---|---|
| Denominations: | 70c, 80c, 85c, $1.30 |
| Miniature sheet: | $1.70 - Containing the $1.30 denominations. A surcharge of 40 cents for each sheet sold will be passed on to the Executive Committee " New Zealnd 1990" in support pf their World Philatelic Exhibition to be held in Auckland in 1990. |
| Designer: | Tracey Purkis, Paraparaumu |
| Printer and process: | Leigh-Mardon Pty Ltd, Australia; Lithography |
| Stamp size and format: | 29.5mm x 35mm (Vertical) |
| Miniature sheet size: | 123 mm x 99 mm |
| Number of stamps per sheet: | 50 (5 rows of 10) |
| Period of sale: | These stamps remained on sale until 30 June 1988. |
