Otago Centennial

Single 1d 'Port Chalmers' gummed stamp.

This stamp depicted the arrival of the immigrant ships John Wickliffe and the Philip Laing at Port Chalmers, Otago Harbour in 1848 - these were the first ships to arrive carrying settlers to Otago.

Single 2d 'Cromwell' gummed stamp.

Cromwell is a town situated on the flats at the junction of two arms of Lake Dunstan, in Central Otago. The township sprang up in 1862 when gold was discovered in the area, it was called The Junction before it was constituted a borough in 1866 and formally named after Oliver Cromwell. Gold-dredging continued into the early years of the last century but since then fruit growing on irrigated land to the west of the town has been its mainstay, together with sheep farming on sparsely pastured hills. In 1985 a new commercial town centre was built as in 1992 the old town centre was flooded by Lake Dunstan, a man-made lake feeding the Clyde Dam.

Single 3d 'First Church Dunedin' gummed stamp.

First Church, which is a conspicuous landmark in Dunedin, was built as a memorial to the Rev. Thomas Burns who arrived on the ship Philip Laing and for the first seven years was the only Presbyterian minister in the province.  The design has a further significance in that it provides a connection with the Free Church of Scotland which was primarily responsible for the idea to settle Otago, and of which the early pioneers were adherents.

Single 6d 'Otago University' gummed stamp.

Otago University was the first to be established in New Zealand.  It was founded in 1869 and opened in 1871 with an enrolment of 81 students.  Although it offers for students of various facilities, its medical, dental and mining schools have turned out graduates who have won world fame.  Representations of transport and the primary products of the province are also shown.