2000 Scenic Reflections

Single 40c 'Lake Lyndon' gummed stamp.

Located near Arthur’s Pass, inland Canterbury, Lake Lyndon is a glacial lake shadowed by the towering and snow-covered Craigieburn, Torlesse and Big Ben ranges. The mountain of the same name, Mount Lyndon (1,475 metres) overlooks the small lake, with the larger Lake Coleridge further to the west.

Lake Lyndon is a popular spot for people takng a break on the trip between the east and west coasts of the South Island. The rugged road, State Highway 73, has an interesting history of supporting the trade in gold and greenstone in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

High country tussock grasslands, shrublands and mountain beech forest surround the lake, which is home to the threatened banded dotterel and crested gebe. One of the area's well-recognised inhabitants is the cheeky kea. These alpine parrots with their dark khaki body and bright orange under their wings are comical and inquisitive.

Single 80c 'Lake Wakatipu' gummed stamp.

Wakatipu is New Zealand’s third largest lake – and its longest at 84 kilometres and less than five kilometres wide. At 291 square kilometres, Wakatipu is the third largest lake in New Zealand. The lake is subject to natural phenomena termed seiches were its level appears to pulsate, rising and falling by by up to as much as 12 centimetres every five minutes or so.

A popular location for bungy jumping and jetboat rides, Lake Wakatipu’s waters also hosted leisurely cruises, such as those provided by the elegant Lion, which featured on this stamp. Built in 1908, Lion was extensively restored in the 1990s, complete with a new colour scheme, polished brass fittings, teak and kauri woodwork and English wool carpet.

Set on the shores of the lake is one of New Zealand's most popular tourist resorts, Queenstown. Queenstown was first settled in the 1860's during the gold-mining era. Today, the area's gold-mining history is one of a huge variety of tourism attractions, from adrenalin-pumping bungy jumps to more leisurely trips cruising Lake Wakatipu. In winter Queenstown is incredibly busy, with five ski fields nearby, people head to the action town for skiing holidays.

Single $1.10 'Mount Ruapehu' gummed stamp.

The highest mountain in New Zealand’s North Island at 2,797 metres, Ruapehu received international attention in 1995 and 1996 for its dramatic volcanic explosions. Huge clouds of ash and steam were expelled skyward, coating the surrounding snowfields and forest with a thick layer of dark grey ash. The stamp captured Ruapehu's spectacular 1995 eruption which was reflected in the lake below. The crater lake, covering the vent of Ruapehu, was drained of water by the explosions.

 In 1953, the crater lake was the cause of a much more tragic event. A blockage at the outlet of the crater lake collapsed, causing a massive lahar, or flood of water, mud and ash and other volcanic debris, that swept down the slopes of Ruapehu, destroying the rail bridge at Tangiwai. A train plunged into the river and 151 people died.

Ruapehu is the southernmost peak of the three mountains in the central plateau, south of Lake Taupō. Tongariro and Ngauruhoe, along with Ruapehu, are the heart of the Tongariro National Park.

Single $1.20 ' Rainbow Mountain Scenic Reserve' gummed stamp.

Rainbow Mountain is a colourful part of Bay of Plenty’s volcanic landscape of boiling mud and steaming pools. Maungakākaramea, as it is also known, means mountain of coloured earth. The mountain has bare brown, orange and red steaming slopes, as the backdrop to two tiny crater lakes. The crater lakes are among five small lakes dotting the reserve. The area surrounding the lakes is covered in thriving native plants including cabbage trees, flax bushes and mānuka.

The summit track to the top of Rainbow Mountain provides dramatic views of the triple peaks of Tongariro National Park to the south and Mount Tarawera and Lakes Tarawera and Rotomahana to the north. Lake Rotomahana was once the home of the Pink and White Terraces that were made famous worldwide through a series of delicate coloured lithographs. However when Mount Tarawera erupted in 1886 the terraces were completely destroyed.

Single $1.50 'Tairua Harbour' gummed stamp.

On the east of the Coromandel Peninsula, famous for its beaches, bush and gold mining history, is Tairua Harbour. Opposite the resort township of Pāuanui, Tairua has historically been an area of farming and sawmilling, although tourism, especially eco-tourism, has grown in strength.

The Corondel is a haven for those looking for great beaches, fishing and scuba diving. The port at Tairua is a handy base for gamefishing charters out to the Aldermen and other islands, with marlin and tuna caught from time to time, along with snapper, kingfish and crayfish. As a variation to sea fishing, there are trout in the upper reaches of the Tairua River.

Te Whanganui-a-Hei (Catherdral Cove) Marine Reserve provides another option for those who enjoy marine life other than fishing. Snorkelling or scuba diving around the reefs and islands within the marine reserve gives a different view of the underwater life around the Coromandel.

Single $1.80 'Lake Alexandrina' gummed stamp.

The Mackenzie Country’s Lake Alexandrina is small and delicate when compared to the mighty Lake Tekapo to its east, one of the South Island’s largest lakes. Its clear water contrasts with the opaque turquoise waters of the glacier-fed Tekapo and neighbouring Lake Pukaki.

Motorised boats are not allowed on Lake Alexandrina, making it an attractive option for those seeking peaceful picnicking or undisturbed fishing. Alexandrina is a favoured spot with trout anglers and a few quaint baches, or cribs as known in the South Island, dot the shoreline.

The dry flat grasslands surrounding the lake are home to native skinks and geckos. The lake holds one of the largest single populations of the threatened southern crested grebe and also the scaup, a small black duck with yellow eyes. One of New Zealand's most threatened native birds, the black stilt lives in the braided rivers of the Mackenzie Country nearby.