2014 Legendary Landmarks.

          When I discovered that Allan had missed this 2014 stamp issue from early July, I asked him why. He said he had not intention of putting it on this blog as it 'wasn't a real stamp issue.' This issue came out as a sheet rather than as single stamps so Allan thinks it is aimed at collectors and not many will end up on common letters, therefore he does not consider it a postage stamp. I said "I'll do it." He replied, "Be my guest." So here it is.      
          Many towns and cities throughout this country have their special unique icons that reflect their character. The NZ Post Legendary Landmarks stamp issue takes a look at just 18 of these. From the well-known landmarks like the Lemon & Paeroa bottle and the Ohakune carrot, to the lesser-known Mossburn deer and the truly kiwi Taihape gumboot, these landmarks can tell you about the local history and the town’s identity without saying a word.

For those who are interested - 1998 Town Icons.

The Miniature Sheet.

The Stamps on the Sheet.

Top Row:- Cromwell / The Centre of Attraction; Otorohanga / Kiwiana Town; Te Puke / Heart of Kiwifruit Country; Paeroa / Home of a Kiwi Favourite.

2nd Row:- Mossburn / Deer Capital of New Zealand; Colac Bay / Surf's Up; Ohakune / Carrot Capital of New Zealand; Rakaia / Means Great Fishing.

3rd Row:- Tirau / Big Sheep; Taihape / Where Gumboots Rule; Rakiura / The Chain Holding Us Together; Opononi / Home of the Friendly Dolphin.

4th Row:- Hunterville / The Huntaway's Home; Taupo / The Cyclists Delight.

5th Row:- Pukekura / Giant Sandfly; Fielding / Celebrating the Land; Clinton / Celebrates Our Rural Heritage; Manaia / Bread Capital.

The Towns And Their Icons.

  80c - Cromwell / The Centre of Attraction.

          Cromwell is a town in Central Otago region of New Zealand. Originally it known as "The Junction", being at the confluence of the Clutha and Kawarau Rivers. In 1862, gold was discovered below the Junction by two miners, Hartley and Reilly. Once the word of a gold strike was out, there was an influx of several thousand miners to the area. As gold ran out, Cromwell became the service centre for an extensive farming and stone fruit growing area. Since the construction of the Clyde Dam and the filling of Lake Dunstan in the early 1990s the river confluence was drowned, as was the old town centre. Approximately one-third of the town was rebuilt on higher ground.
         The future of Cromwell is in farming, horticulture, viticulture, and tourism. Cromwell is nicknamed the "Fruit Bowl of the South". This is commemorated with the giant sculpture of stone fruit which stands outside the northern end of the town, the icon featured on the stamp.

80c - Otorohanga / Kiwiana Town.

         Otorohanga is a north King Country town at the southern end of the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. The town is part of, and the seat of, the Otorohanga District Council. The district has a population of 9,075, with Otorohanga being the main centre. Other places in the district include Te Kawa and Kawhia.^[2] The district has a land area of 2,063.44 km² (796.70 sq mi). Otorohanga is the gateway town to the Waitomo Caves, which is located 15 minutes away.
         Otorohanga is internationally renowned for its local Kiwi House. The Kiwi House was the first place in the world where the general public could view a kiwi in captivity. Its visitor numbers have remained constant throughout the years, recording an average of 5,000 per month over 2007–2008. The icon shown on the stamp is the large Corregated Iron Kiwi in Otorohanga Although Otorohanga is internationally renowned for its Kiwi House, it also has a public library, a swimming complex, a Countdown Supermarket and a 24 hour McDonalds.

80c - Te Puke / Heart of Kiwifruit Country.

         Te Puke is a town located 28 kilometres southeast of Tauranga in the Western Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. Originally settled as a farming area today the town is particularly famous for the cultivation of kiwifruit in the surrounding area. There are now a number of large packing sheds established in or near the town to support the kiwifruit export industry.
          Perhaps the most notable attraction in Te Puke is Kiwi 360, with its famous landmark the giant kiwifruit. There is a tour through the orchards, on the KiwiKart, on which you can learn about the processes used to grow, harvest and export the kiwifruit, as well as a café and shop. The icon shown is the large slice of kiwifruit outside this attraction. One side shows a cross-section of the green kiwifruit while the other side (not shown) is a cross section of the yellow kiwifruit.

80c - Paeroa / Home of a Kiwi Favourite.

          Paeroa is a small town in the northern Waikato region of the Thames Valley of New Zealand. Located at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, it is close to the junction of the Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers, 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) from the coast at the Firth of Thames. It is the support centre for the farms over a large portion of the surrounding Hauraki Plains.
          Paeroa is best known for the soft drink Lemon & Paeroa (L&P) once made in the town. The soft drink was originally produced using lemon and carbonated mineral water from nearby springs. Today L&P is owned by Coca-Cola and produced on the same production line as other Coca-Cola products sold in New Zealand.
          A large L&P bottle stands on the main road just east of the township as a landmark icon for the town. This bottle and the town have appeared in many adverts for the drink.  These adverts would usually end with that humours tag line "L&P World Famous in New Zealand."

80c - Mossburn / Deer Capital of New Zealand.

          Mossburn is a small town in the northern Southland Region of New Zealand, south of Queenstown and east of Te Anau. The town is located in a very scenic area, with the mountains of Fiordland creating a beautiful backdrop. The town's main industry is agriculture, with many cattle, deer, and sheep farms nearby. Due to the amount of deer farming, Mossburn claims to be the deer capital of New Zealand. This is shown on the stamp with a large statue of a deer that has become a town icon.
           Mossburn has always been a quiet agricultural town except for a burst of economic activity came as a result of the construction of the Manapouri Power Station, the town being the closest railway terminus to the project. During the later part of 2006 and early part of 2007, a wind farm at White Hill was constructed with 29 turbines each of 2.0 MW. In total, it can produce enough electricity to power 30,000 homes when at full capacity. This brought further local employment and financial benefits to the district.
          Today the town is experiencing a dairy farming boom with many large dairy farms having been established over the past five years, converting from past sheep and other mixed farming activities.

80c - Colac Bay / Surf's Up.

         Colac Bay/Oraka is a small township situated on the bay of the same name, and located on the Southern Scenic Route, 10 minutes from Riverton, New Zealand. The town hugs the bay, with sandy beaches, and has a popular surf spot known as Trees.
         This coastline offers good mid-tide surfing. The Southern swell breaks cleanly at the Eastern end of the Colac Bay's Foreshore Road, into both left and right hand breaks.. The northern end of the bay is generally good for swimming. The town has a well appointed café, craft shop, pub, caravan park, community hall and Marae.
         The town also features a statue of a surfer riding a wave, which is popular with tourists. This statue, a well-known town icon, is the feature of the stamp to the right.

80c - Ohakune / Carrot Capital of New Zealand.

         Ohakune is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the Tongariro National Park, close to the southwestern slopes of the active volcano Mount Ruapehu. Part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region, the town is 70 kilometres northeast of Wanganui, and 25 kilometres west of Waiouru. It is a rural service town and a base for skiers using the Turoa skifield.
          As a winter resort town, one can find facilities for accommodation, snow sports, mountain tramping and bushwalking. In recent years the number of events hosted by Ohakune has increased, with both the Big Mountain Short Film Festival and Ohakune Mountain Mardi Gras featuring on the calendar. The Mardi Gras is both a ski party and celebration of winter, and includes musicians, stalls and rides.
         On the eastern edge of the town there is a large replica of a carrot. This is reputedly the world's largest model carrot, and was originally constructed as a prop for a television advertisement for the ANZ Bank in the early 1980s. After filming, the carrot was donated to Ohakune, in recognition of the area's reputation as the source of a high proportion of New Zealand's carrots, and installed in its current position in 1984. This icon is the feature of the stamp to the right.

80c - Rakaia / Means Great Fishing.

       The town of Rakaia is seated close to the southern banks of the Rakaia River on the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island, approximately 57km south of Christchurch on State Highway 1 and the Main South Line. Immediately north of the township are the country's longest road bridge and longest rail bridge, both of which cross the wide shingle beds of the braided river at this point. Both bridges are approximately 1750 metres in length.
         Rakaia was also the junction of the Methven Branch, a branch line railway to Methven that operated from 1880 until its closure in 1976. An accident at the railway station in 1899 killed four people.
        A township of under 1000 people, its most obvious feature is a large fibreglass salmon. The river from which the town takes its name is known for its salmon fishing and jet boating.

80c - Tirau / Big Sheep.

        Tirau is a small town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand, 50 kilometres southeast of Hamilton. The town has a population of 732 (2006 census) (726 in 2001 and 735 in 1996). Tirau is primarily a farming town, having a large dairy factory nearby, but tourism has become more important in recent times. Tirau is Maori for "place of many cabbage trees."
         Just south of the township is the intersection of State Highway 1 and State Highway 5, where traffic from Auckland and Hamilton on State Highway 1 split to go either to Rotorua (SH 5) or Taupo (SH 1). State Highway 27 splits off State Highway 1 in the north of the town, providing a route north to the Coromandel Peninsula and an alternative route to Auckland, bypassing Hamilton. The town is now a well known tourist stop-off, and is characterised by many local art works in the town forged out of discarded corrugated iron. The church and many of the shops feature corrugated iron sculptures and two buildings are completely covered in this material, the information centre which is shaped like a giant dog and the adjacent Big Sheep Wool Gallery, which as its name suggests, is shaped like a giant sheep. This last building is the one shown on the stamp.

80c - Taihape / Where Gumboots Rule.

          Taihape is located near the middle of the North Island in the Rangitikei Borough of New Zealand. It is a rural supply town and was at its peak during the 1960s when it was a railway and transport hub for the surrounding farming community. Much of its economic activity revolved around the railway and rural communities. A major decline occurred in the 1980s due to a restructure and electrification of the railway system and a general downturn in the farming sector. In recent years with the advent of major tourist attractions Taihape is now experiencing an upturn in local commerce. Its location on the North Island Main Trunk Railway and on State Highway 1 has ensured its economic survival.
            Taihape's main claim to fame is as the "Gumboot Capital of the World", and it attracts large numbers of people to the annual gumboot-throwing contest.  first celebrated on 9 April 1985. This festival was devised by local business people who decided to capitalise on its rural image. Gumboots are rubber boots used by farmers in wet and muddy conditions. There is a large statue of a gumboot near the centre of the town which is shown on the stamp.

80c - Rakiura / The Chain Holding Us Together.

            Stewart Island / Rakiura is the third-largest island of New Zealand. It lies 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. Its permanent population is 381 people as of the 2013 census, most of whom live in the settlement of Oban.
           The chain found on Rakiura (Stewart Island) at the entrance to Rakiura National Park comes from the legend of Maui fishing up the North Island of New Zealand. According to the legend, Rakiura (known as Te Punga-O-Waka-A-Maui) was formed from the anchor of Maui’s canoe. There is a matching link sculpture on the South Island at the southern-most town in New Zealand, Bluff, proposing to be the other end of the link holding these two islands together.

80c - Opononi / Home of the Friendly Dolphin.

      
          Opononi and Omapere are dual settlements on the south shore of the Hokianga harbour in Northland Region, New Zealand. State Highway 12 runs through Opononi and Omapere.
The combined population of Opononi and Omapere was 477 in the 2006 Census, a decrease of 117 from 2001.
Opononi became famous throughout New Zealand in the summer of 1955 and 1956 due to the exploits of a dolphin called Opo. This dolphin enjoyed interacting and swimmimg with humans, particularly children. Suddenly, one day she was gone, likely returning to her natural home in the ocean.

80c - Hunterville / The Huntaway's Home.

           Hunterville is a small community on State Highway 1, in the Rangitikei district of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located half way between Taupo and Wellington and has a population (2006 census) of 441.
          The township was founded in 1884 by a merchant named George Hunter. It straddles the state highway as well as the main trunk railway in the foothills forming the gateway to the Central Plateau. The closest airport or airfield to Hunterville is Ohakea Aerodrome, an important Air Force base, which is sited 33 km to the south west. 6 km north of Hunterville is Vinegar Hill.
            Hunterville is well known for its statue of the huntaway, a specialised herding dog that uses its voice to drive the sheep. The town festival and market held on the first Saturday after Labour Day has a "Shepherds Shemozzle" - a race with man and dog with shepherds travelling from all over New Zealand to compete for the top prize.

80c - Taupo / The Cyclists Delight.

         Taupo, commonly pronounced (taʊpoʊ) is a town on the shore of Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat of the Taupo District Council and lies in the southern Waikato Region. The town has a population of 23,100 (June 2013 estimate). In 1953, Taupo was officially constituted as a borough, but from 1989 it has been administered by the Taupo District Council, the district including both Taupo itself and the surrounding hinterland. It is the 20th largest urban area in New Zealand, and the second-largest in the Waikato Region (behind Hamilton).
        Taupo is popular is popular as a venue for major sporting events, increasingly of an international nature. The town's compact size, clean environment, central location and supportive council and community have been cited as the reasons for this. Major events in Taupo include: Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge. The icon shown celebrates cycles and cycling in the areas around the town.

80c - Pukekura / Giant Sandfly.

         Pukekura is located near Lake Ianthe in the West Coast region of the South Island. State Highway 6 passes through Pukekura on its route between Ross and Harihari, and the settlement is roughly 35 minutes south of Hokitika and an hour north of Franz Josef Glacier.
          It claims to be the smallest town on the West Coast, with a population of two, though this was larger in past times when it was a saw-milling settlement. Timber was cut in the area from the early 1950s until the mid-1980s. The town has now been re-established as a tourist centre, with a Bushman's Centre, pub, and accommodation. The forest around the town is now a protected forest.
          A possible translation of the name from Māori to English is "blue hill". In certain lights Mt Bonar behind the town does take on a bluish appearance. The icon shown for this town is a giant sand-fly.

80c - Fielding / Celebrating the Land.

         
          Feilding (Māori: Aorangi) is a town in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 54, 20 kilometres north of Palmerston North. The town is a service town for the surrounding farming district. The Manawatu Plains, on which the town is sited, are very fertile land, and as such it is a prosperous agricultural area. Being located on the floodplain of a major river has its problems, however, and in February 2004 the town suffered extensive flooding. In 2009 the Horizons Regional Council commissioned a new flood protection scheme to prevent extensive flooding in the future. The towns icon is a large statue of a farmer and his dog as can be seen on the icon stamp.
Features of the town include:-

• One of New Zealand's main motor racing circuits, Manfeild, is located at the southern edge of the town
• There is an active light aircraft airfield at the eastern edge of the town
• The depot of the Feilding and District Steam Rail Society is located in the town and it runs railway excursions from this base.
• Feilding's stock saleyards were once one of the largest in the southern hemisphere and are right in the central business area. Guided tours are available.
• Feilding has won the annual New Zealand's Most Beautiful Town award 14 times
• There are no traffic lights and no parking meters. 

80c - Clinton / Celebrates Our Rural Heritage.

 
        Clinton is a small town in South Otago, in New Zealand's South Island. It is located on State Highway 1 approximately half way between Balclutha and Gore (the section of State Highway 1 between Clinton and Gore is known as "The Presidential Highway", after Bill Clinton and Al Gore), and the Main South Line railway passes through the town.
          Clinton was named for Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle, former British Secretary of State for the Colonies.   The population of Clinton in the 2006 census was 294. I am unsure how the horses shown on the stamp relate to local town.

80c - Manaia / Bread Capital.

          Manaia is a rural town in South Taranaki District, New Zealand. Opunake is 29 km to the northwest, and Hawera is 13 km to the southeast. Kaponga is 15 km north. State Highway 45 passes through the town. Manaia is named after the former Māori chief of the district, Hukunui Manaia.

          Manaia's history is still visible with the Manaia Redoubt, built around 1880 on the site of a former pā (Te Takahe). This redoubt and wooden watchtower was created for the passive resistance of the Parihaka chief, Te Whiti o Rongomai, and his followers. The wooden watchtower (35 feet high) was blown down in a storm and replaced in 1912 by a concrete one still standing today, surrounded by the 18-hole golf. 

           Yarrows Family Bakers employs around 250 people, and has been the main business in Manaia since 1923. The company manufactures fresh and frozen breads and bakery products. Its clients include Foodstuffs, Subway, and Pams. The company went into receivership in 2011 but after a major restructuring continued to trade and bake bread. A large bread loaf in the town claims Manaia as being the 'Bread Capital of New Zealand.