New Zealand's Scenic Definitives

Butterflies on stamps

The $1, $2 and $3 Butterflies, issued in 1991, are replaced with scenic images to complement the existing range of Scenic Definitives from 5c to 90c. A new $1.10 is also released to cater for the New Zealand Post international rate changes to the postcard and aerogramme rate to anywhere in the world.

four Scenic Definitive stamps

This set of four Scenic Definitive stamps depicts four spectacular locations around New Zealand's extensive coastline. The first is the lighthouse at Taiaroa Head, on the Otago Peninsula. It stands 60 metres above sea level and signals to ships up to 32 kilometres away.
Further north, the wild, rugged Kaikoura Coast is set against the dramatic beauty of the snow-capped Seaward Kaikoura Range.
Just off the coast of the North Island, we visit the pohutukawa-trimmed Great Barrier Island, which was the first place in New Zealand to use airmail postage, when pigeons carried mail to the mainland.
Finally, there is Cape Kidnappers in Hawke's Bay, home to one of the world's two known mainland gannet colonies – large, powerful seabirds known for their plummeting 145-kilometre-per-hour dives for fish.
Each stamp's border provides a visual link to the area's distinctive flora and fauna.