1996 Scenic Gardens

Single 40c 'Seymour Square Gardens, Blenheim' gummed stamp.

Seymour Square is just that - a perfectly square flat hectare of garden. It is named after a district pioneer who set aside the land for a park in 1857. Cricket and rugby were played on the ground before its garden development began in the early 1900s. A fountain and high imposing clock tower, both war memorials are dominant features. The tower, clad in stone from local river beds, was unveiled in 1928 to remember Marlborough's World War I dead. The foundation, unveiled in 1953, commemorates those killed in World War II. Stately trees, many planted to mark district events, also grace the garden. Formal flower beds are planted twice a year for summer and winter displays.

Single 80c 'Pukekura Park Gardens, New Plymouth' gummed stamp.

Pukekura Park is named after the stream flowing through it. Originally the park was a barren swampy valley. Today it's a magical place, full of contrast and character - dense native bush, walkways, bird life, native and exotic tree collections, lush fern gullies, colourful hidden dells, broad sweeping lawns, formal flower beds and freshwater lakes and streams. It's also home to one of New Zealand's most picturesque cricket grounds with a strip good enough to host international cricket. Pukekura Park and the adjoining Brooklands cover 49 hectares.

Single $1.00 'Wintergarden, Auckland' gummed stamp.

The Wintergarden is an impressive element of the Domain, an 86-hectare green oasis near the heart of Auckland city. The Domain had its beginnings more than 150 years ago when Governor George Grey set aside 43 hectares for the development of a park. Later, the area of the park was doubled. Profits from the great Industrial Agricultural and Mining Exhibition, staged in the Domain in 1913, provided funds for the erection of the temperate house as the first stage of the Wintergarden. The project was completed with the addition of a complementary tropical house in 1929. The towering twins are joined by a formal courtyard with pools, statuary and arbours draped with wisteria.

Single $1.50 'Botanic Gardens, Christchurch' gummed stamp.

Hagley Park, with the Botanic Gardens at its heart, is the largest single city park in New Zealand. It was named after the Staffordshire county seat of Lord Lyttelton, chairman of the Canterbury Association. The Botanic Gardens date back to 1863 when the first tree, an oak, was planted to celebrate a royal marriage. Today, the gardens spread over 30 hectares within a loop of the Avon River. They contain the finest collection of exotic and indigenous plants in New Zealand with majestic trees, many more than 100 years old, forming an impressive background to the various garden sections. There is something for everyone - herbaceous borders, herb garden, rose garden, primal garden, heather garden, rock garden, water garden, rhododendron collections, the Cockayne Memorial Garden (New Zealand plants, shrubs and trees) and more. Thirty thousand annuals are planted each year for spring and summer displays.

Single $1.80 'Marine Parade Gardens, Napier' gummed stamp.

The ocean of Hawke's Bay provides a close, dramatic backdrop to the gardens on Napier's Marine Parade. They are right on the waterfront, behind the concrete wall which was built originally in 1889 to protect the town from flooding in severe storms. The gardens stretch along the parade with manicured lawns, formal flower beds and trees all linked by walkways. The Sunken Garden, with a floating sculpture in a pool, was completed in 1969. Other features too add to their charm. A fine sundial, the Sound Shell and the Tom Parker illuminated fountain. The bronze statue of "Pania of the Reef" was unveiled in 1954, a floral clock was installed a year later, Marineland was opened in 1965, the Kiwi House in 1971 and New Zealand's largest aquarium in 1976.