That New Zealand is a country of year-round beauty is amply illustrated by the four stamps forming this attractive Four Seasons Scenic stamp issue. The stamps each represent a facet of the New Zealand landscape at a particular time of the year. The winter and spring scenes are in the North Island and the summer and autumn scenes are from the South Island.
Issue information
Nature's four seasons are featured on the stamps of the New Zealand 1982 Scenic stamp issue. There are two North Island and two South Island scenes.
The denominations of the stamps were: Summer, 35c, Autumn, 40, Winter, 45, and Spring, 70c.
The Summer scene shows Kaiteriteri beach. near Nelson, portrayed in deep blues and summer gold, with a burnt orange border. Kaiteriteri is a popular beach resort with motels, caravan parks and tourist flats. At the north end of the beach is Kaka Point, once a fortified Māori look out.
Autumn colours are beautifully represented in the illustration of St Omar Park, Queenstown, on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. It seems approriate that the centre of the 1860's gold rush is shown in hues of gold, with deep green shadows. The border of the stamp is in a rich autumn red.
From lakes and beaches, the scene moves to the mountains for winter. The snow- capped Mount Ngauruhoe features in the Tongsriro National Park scene on the 45c stamp. This 2,291m mountain is the most continuously active of New Zealand's volcanoes, regularly belching steam and gas, and spectacularly erupting ash and lava every few years. The stamp, bordered in navy, is predominantly white and blue effectively conveying the chilly winter scene.
The final stamp of the set is, of cousre, Spring and its subject is a Wairarapa farm, just after lambing. Newborn lambs and their mothers graze among brightly coloured daffodils in a lush green pasture.
These four scenic stamps will play an important role in promoting New Zealand scenery as a tourist attraction. Together they represent four facets of the New Zealand landscape - the coasy, lakes, mountains and farmland and show that it is a country of year-round beauty.
Product Listing for Four Seasons
| Image | Title | Description | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Stamp |
Single 35c 'Summer' gummed stamp. This scene shows Kaiteriteri Beach near Nelson. The beach is a popular resort attracting many tourists each summer. |
$0.35 | |
| Single Stamp |
Single 40c 'Autumn' gummed stamp. St Omar Park, Queenstown, which is situated on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, represents the colours of autumn beautifully. |
$0.40 | |
| Single Stamp |
Single 45c 'Winter' gummed stamp. The snow-capped Mt Ngauruhoe features on this Tongariro National Park scene. This mountain is 2291 metres in height and is the most continuously active of New Zealand's volcanoes. |
$0.45 | |
| Single Stamp |
Single 70c 'Spring' gummed stamp. Spring is represented by a scene on a Wairarapa farm just after lambing- depicting new born lambs and their mothers grazing among brightly coloured daffodils in a lush green pasture. |
$0.70 | |
| First Day Cover | First day cover with stamps affixed. Cancelled on the first day of issue. | $1.98 |
Stamp Bulletin
This stamp issue first appeared in New Zealand Post Stamp Bulletin No. 27 in April 1982.
Acknowledgments: Bulletin scanned and provided by John Biddlecombe of the New Zealand Society of Great Britain. Their web site offers further information useful to those interested in the stamps and postal history of New Zealand. Link: http://www.nzsgb.org.uk/
Technical information
| Date of issue: | 2 June 1982 |
|---|---|
| Designer: | Don A Hatcher, Auckland |
| Printer and process: | Heraclio Fournier, Spain by photogravure |
| Stamp size and format: | 35.5mm x 32mm (horizontal) |
| Number of stamps per sheet: | 100 (10 rows of 10) |
| Perforation gauge: | 13.2 x 13.3 |
| Paper type: | Unwatermarked |
| Special blocks: | Plate/imprint, positional, or value blocks could be obtained by purchasing at least six stamps of all denominations. |
| Period of sale: | These stamps remained on sale until 30 June 1983. |
