New Zealand's UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Single 80c 'Emerald Lakes, Tongariro National Park' gummed stamp.

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.

Single $1.40 'Franz Josef Glacier, Te Wāhipounamu - South West New Zealand' gummed stamp.

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.

Single $2.00 'Enderby Island, New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands' gummed stamp.

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.

Single $2.20 'Mount Ngauruhoe, Tongariro National Park' gummed stamp.

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.

Single $2.50 'Lake MacKenzie, Te Wāhipounamu - South West New Zealand' gummed stamp.

Lake MacKenzie sits in Te Wāhipounamu, 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 IndoAustralian 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 Wāhipounamu.

Single $3.00 'Campbell Island, New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands' gummed stamp.

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.

This visually stunning presentation pack included the six stamps, the miniature sheet and the first day cover from this issue, as well as further information on the three UNESCO World Heritage Sites featured in this stamp issue. The presentation pack was written by Lou Sanson, Director-General of the Department of Conservation.

The ultimate stamp product for any collector, the limited edition was produced in limited numbers and contained stamp products not available anywhere else. This premium product included a booklet written by Lou Sanson with in-depth information about New Zealand’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Included in this collectable were plate blocks of the six stamps, a unique numbered imperforate miniature sheet, colour separations of the $3.00 stamp and a specially designed first day cover signed by Lou Sanson.