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New Zealand
April 1979 issue 21
New Zealand ARCHITECTURE For those with means, life was elegant in Britain in the 1820s. In New Zealand the scene was raw and utilitarian. Most buildings were little more than temporary huts. Into this pre-colonial setting traders and missionaries often transplanted building designs that reflected the style and grace of their British background. The Kemp house at Kerikeri for example - the oldest house in the country - was built for a missionary, in Regency style, almost 20 years before New Zealand became a British colony in 1840. Another pre-colonial example of Regency architecture is the Waimate Mission House, begun at Waimate North in 1831. The Waimate Mission House and "The Elms" at Tauranga - both North Island mission houses - are two of the four examples of early New Zealand architecture chosen by the New Zealand Post Office to feature on stamps. The other two examples for this four stamp issue, are in the South Island: one is a simple cob farmhouse - Riverlands Cottage - and the other, a large public building - the Canterbury Provincial Council Building. To be released on April 4, the stamps are in four denominations: Riverlands Cottage, 10c; Waimate Mission House, l2c; 'The Elms',15c; and the Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings, 20c. Although each of the four examples shown on the stamps reflects an aspect of the English architectural climate of the times, only one was designed by a professional architect - the Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings. A major role in the design and building of the Mission House at Waimate North was played by George Clarke, a lay missionary with some experience in the building trade. He is believed to have been guided by two books . in his possession, entitled "The Principles of ArChitecture" and "The New Practical Builder". He was an amateur, reputedly of refined taste, and "stood architect" for several other buildings in the area. George Oarke and his family were the fust occupants of the Waimate North Mission House. In 1842, it became a Bishop's Palace with the arrival of Bishop. Selwyn. Two other mission houses of similar design were built at Waimate North, but were ruined when 600 British soldiers were quartered there in 1845, to quell the rebellious Hone Heke. The existing house owes its survival to its occupancy at the time by the Reverend Robert Burrows.
The 'Old Vicarage' underwent several alterations, but was bought by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust in 1959 and restored to its original form. Although the house looks distinctly colonial now, in the 1830s travellers remarked on its 'Englishness'. Stylistic features such as dormer windows, skillions (leanto extensions) and overhanging eaves, were typical expressions of Romanticism, found in English Regency cottages. The verandah, introduced into English cottage design from an earlier colonial period, derived from the double-roofed houses of Bengal.
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The Elms. T,uranga
'The Elms' at Tauranga displays another extension of English taste; Colonial Georgian - a style already developed in New South Wales. George Clarke, again, is thought to have played a part in designing this house built for the missionary, Archdeacon Brown. The roof lines, dormer windows, skillions and front symmetry give 'The Elms' and the Waimate Mission houses a family likeness. However 'The Elms' is set apart by its shuttered french windows, and the absence of a verandah. There was no suitable timber available locally for the mission buildings at Tauranga - unlike Waimate North. Heavy logs from further north had to be towed by scow to a nearby estuary and hauled to the site, to be pit sawn.
First a one-roomed library was erected in 1839, then a chapel in 1843, while the Brown family lived in a temporary house made of raupo (rushes). Then a fire in 1845 destroyed most of their painstakingly assembled windows, timber and tools, delaying completion of the
house until 1847. Both Waimate North and Tauranga missions had been established and funded under the auspices of the Church Missionary Society, an Anglican organisation founded in
1799 in England. Brown purchased the Tauranga Archdeaconry from the C.M.S. in 1872, and named it 'The Elms', and continued the mission there until the mid 1880s. It has been lived in and maintained by members of the family ever since. In 1962, 'The Elms Trust' was set up to ensure the preser-
But Canterbury was unique. It had been planned as a semi-ecclesiastical settlement under the supervision of the Church of England. When the first four shiploads of settlers arrived in 1850, the land had been surveyed ready for them and some roads built. The settlers had authentic land titles, which gave them a security. unknown to many others elsewhere in the country.
The settlers had been carefully chosen. In the main they were well off. Additional prosperity came in the 1860s when gold was discovered in nearby Otago and the West Coast, bringing further immigration and an assured market
for farm produce.
vation of the old mission house as an historic monument.
While Tauranga timbers may not have been suitable for an elegant mission house, Blenheim was so short of building materials, the earth itself had to be used. Mud and tussock were combined to build the many 'cob' houses in the area of which Riverlands Cottage is
- considered a good example. The mud and tussock mixture was rammed into bQxing which was moved up the walls as the mix was used. To keep out moisture. the finished walls were spread with a mix ture of dung and
mud (which had to contain a quantity of undigested chaff for reinforcing),
Over this, newspaper was pasted, and
the whole surface was whitewashed.
P,o':in~ial Council Buildings.
Christchurch
To a large extent this method of construction must have
dictated the design of Riverlands Cottage. The house is a plain rectangle, with doors and windows set in simple recesses.
The skillion is an extension to the rear of the
side walls, covered in an almost straight line by the shingle roof.
Riverlands Cottage was built as a farmhouse for Charles Redwood, the son of a pioneer family, around 1865. Since then the building has had many uses - from school house to stud sheep shelter to shearers'quarters, amongst others.
In 1965 the Marlborough Historical Society began restoring the cottage, assisted by a grant from the Historic Places Trust. Today it is open to the public, displaying furniture and decor of the 1880s.
The design of the buildings, by Provincial Architect Benjamin Woolfield Mountfort and his partner lsaac Luck, waS influenced by the current Gothic Revival in British architecture. This essentially Victorian movement, may
be seen as a reflection of both the pious and romantic sentiments of the times. It had spread from an initial interest in reviving Gothic church architecture, to include
secular buildings as well. This might explain the distinctly ecclesiastical appearance of the stone section of the building.
The first wooden portion of the building was begun in 1858, and the second, also wooden, in 1859. The stone section, designed by Mountfort alone, was completed and occupied by the Provincial Council in 1865. The buildings display the pointed arches, the solidity, and -freedom of-ehange-in-design-characteristic-of-GothicRevival. Change and variety, disciplined by a basic theme, is expressed by the wooden masses, which were frequently
altered during construction. Steeply pitched roofs, tall windows, pointed gables,
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towers and vertical timbering give a visual upward thrust
which balances the massive squareness of the complex.
____ Riverlands Cottage. Blenheim, .
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The interiors of these buildings are remarkable for their craftsmanship and colour. A timber-panelled and stonepaved corridor runs 128m around the inside of the wooden buildings. The stone chambers are richly decorated, with coloured mosaic tiles in symbolic designs, and elaborately carved stone masonry.
While cob building was traditionally the poor man's answer to building costs in the English provinces, money
posed few problems for the Canterbury settlers who Commissioned the Provincial Council Buildings. For a settlement only eight years old, public buildings of such size and grandeur seem an amazing proposition.
Drawings of the four examples of early New Zealand architecture on these stamps, are by Peter Leiteh of Tawa, near Wellington, who also designed a first day cover for the issue. The delicate precision of the line drawings on their plain white background, contrasts strikingly with the bold stripe, a different colour for each denomination. The stamps were printed by lithography, by Ion Enschede en Zonen, Holland.
PETER LETCH sing a kind of personal 'shorthand', Wellington artist Peter Leitch sketches from life the feel of the building he is drawing.
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The sketch wouldn't mean much to anyone else, but used alongside photographic reference back in his studio, it helps him give depth and vitality to his meticulous line drawing. "I've tried drawing a few times just from the photographs," he said, "but the drawings didn't mean a thing." So the fine detail apparent on close observation of the four new architecture stamps, comes from close observation of the buildings themselves. Although line drawings have been his professional speciality for the past five years, and his interest in the best and most interesting examples of early architecture goes back ten years, these stamp designs provided a challenge for Peter Leitch mainly because of their size. For other Leitch drawings of old buildings, reproduced in their thousands on calendars, table mats, coasters, etc., size had not really presented a problem. Line drawing is the ideal technique for reproduction, but reduced to stamp dimensions, there is a danger that details will vanish and the drawing will become subtly inaccurate. To reduce detail in his original drawings of the four buildings, Peter used smaller paper and a thicker nib than usual. He tried various sizes, and had his experimental drawings photographically reduced until he was satisfied he had struck the right "recipe".
Despite the difference in size, Peter believes that designing a stamp is very much like designing a poster. "The less you put on, the better it's going to work." For the lettering, Peter chose a contemporary sansserif type face because "you need simplicity, clarity. Communication is what it's all about". The simple and effective bands of colour were incorporated partly for ease of identification, partly to give the otherwise black and white designs "kick" .
Although this is his first entry into the highly specalised field of stamp design, he has proven skill in allied fields and in 'fine art'. Mr Leitch has taught all forms of painting, and is a well known exhibitor of watercolours. He paints landscapes, seascapes and his city environment. In fact it was the terrific demand for his watercolours of old Wellington street scenes that helped him decide to 'go professional'. "There's quite a strong nostalgia thing in New Zealand", he said. So when his personal interest in old city buildings led to his desire to record colonial Thomdon, before the area was demolished for a motorway, his efforts proved very popular. His work had wide appeal, but he was not prepared to compromise his standards to meet it. It was necessary to devise a technique that lent itself to recording architectural detail accurately, as well as that deeper dimension - the "feel" of the building, and yet do it at a popular price. Reproduction was the answer, and line drawing was the appropriate technique.
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ho woo1d '0'P,,1 '"" 'he b"o"¡ fully peaceful Whangaroa harbour has such a gory past. Certainly not the thousands of tourists visiting its shores each year. The site of the terrible Boyd Massacre, Whangaroa harbour is one of four small harbours individually featured on this year's scenic stamp issue. The harbours shown on the stamps are Whangaroa (ISc) Kawau Island (20c) Akaroa (23c) and Picton (3Sc), all with interesting and varied histories. Whangaroa, now chiefly known as a base for deep sea ' game fishing, has a far more deadly past. In 1809 an English vessel called "The Boyd" sailed from London to Sydney and from there on to New Zealand. Included in the 70 or so people on board, was a Maori chief, Tara, who was a member of the crew. Falsely accused of stealing, he was whipped and divested of possessions, after which his claims of being a chief were ridiculed. There are differing versions of the Boyd Massacre, but what is certain is that when Captain John Thompson and his party went on shore in search of timber spars, they were set upon, killed and later eaten by men from Tara's tribe, who returned to the ship to slaughter all but four of her company. Apparently another chief, Te Pahi, arrived next morning and tried to save the survivors and had to be forcibly restrained while they were murdered. Te Pahi was killed in a revenge attack on his village some months later. The harbour, lying between Mangonui and the Bay of Islands on the eastern coast of North Auckland, is a spacious ~-nd perfectly land-locked anchorage, with an unusual narrow rock-walled entrance, only half a kilo¡ metre across, which is cut in volcanic breccia. However the upper reaches open outwards (to over 3~ km in width) and are surrounded by gently undulating country - of soft sedimentary shales and sandstones. ~
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Another harbour with a small but picturesque entrance is Akaroa. Under 2 kilometres wide at the entrance, it runs inland, opening into various bays at its upper end. Akaroa was the usual resort of whalers in the 1800's. Situated at the southeast end of Banks Peninsula it is historically best known for what has since been called "The Race for Akaroa", which took place in 1840. Although the South Island was already undergoing settlement by families from the United Kingdom, British Sovereignty had not yet been proclaimed. A Frenchman, named Langlais, therefore convinced the French Minister of Marine to outfit a colonial expedition for the purpose of hoisting the French flag at the harbour. According to the scheme, Akaroa would be renamed Port Louis-Phillipe, and would be a supply base for French whaling and shipping operations in the South Seas. So, in February 1840, a French naval vessel sailed for New Zealand. A month later a second ship followed with a cargo of eighty immigrants for the proposed colony. But they were too late. Upon landing in the Bay of Islands, the French were informed that when they were still in mid-ocean, Captain Owen Stanley of HMS "Britomart" had proclaimed British Sovereignty over the South Island at Akaroa. In spite of this the French colonists continued on to Akaroa, and finding it a pleasant spot, elected to stay and build their lives there, regardless of whether the French or English flag flew above their heads. Therefore, though possessed by the English, the "Frenchness" of the Akaroa settlement has never really been in doubt. Indeed, one of Akaroa's historical attractions is the restored Eteveneaux House, originally belonging to Langlais. The New Zealand Historic Places Trust made a substantial grant towards the purchase of this building which is now vested in the Akaroa County Council. Although it is now a busy fishing centre, Akaroa also has great scenic beauty and regular launch trips go to the south side of the harbour, "Scenery Nook", to see the many-coloured volcanic rock terraces.
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The third stamp in the series depicts Kawau Island's Mansion Bay, which is at the entrance to Bon Accord Harbour. Just offshore in the Hauraki Gulf and 30 miles north of Auckland, Kawau Island is almost split in two by the harbour which opens toward the mainland. In earlier days the island belonged to Sir George Grey, one of New Zealand's early Governors, who bought Kawau in 1862 and converted the mine manager's house into the imposing "Mansion House" at considerable expense. To the native bush were added exotic trees and shrubs from temperate and sub-tropical regions. Regardless of expense, animals and birds were imported to grace Grey's "earthly paradise". But by 1910, the inevitable subdivision had begun and Mansion House became a great house for visiting yatchtsmen. Much of the wildlife Grey had introduced failed to acclimatise and died, with the exception of the monkeys who adapted too well, and had to be exterminated. While Kawau may never regain the glory of its past, its secluded beaches, rocky coasts and lovely bush walks are no less attractive now that the exotic has merged with the native. The last of the new stamps shows Picton harbour, which is situated in an inlet of Queen Charlotte Sound, which was the favourite anchorage of Captain Cook on his three visits to New Zealand. Cook named Queen Charlotte Sound in 1770 when he planted the British Ensign there, but 100 years later Picton still had the Maori name of Waitohi and was an important Pa of the Te Ngahawa tribe.
The next European contact with the area was the frequent visits of whalers in the 1830's. The Maori chief, Ropama, sold Picton to Queen Victoria for ÂŁ300 sterling. In 1861 Picton became port of entry for the Wairau and capital of Marlborough Province - though the latter was short-lived. The first Picton wharf, wooden, was erected in 1860 though this was replaced in 1882 by a concrete structure. Today the wharf is the southern terminal for the railroad ferry linking the North and Sou~h Islands. Aside from its commercial use, Picto~.is one of the most popular holiday resorts in New Zealand throughout the summer period. New Zealand's first waterskiing championships were held there in 1959. The stamps of the four harbours are from photographs supplied by the National Publicity Studio, Wellington, and the graphic designs and printing were done by Heraclio Fournier S.A. Spain, by photogravure.
~~f\mE' e~f\Fl~r~rE~ E'RrFl~ErJ ISSUE Forest Parks
1975 Health
1975 Christmas 1976 Commemoratives
Vintage Farm Transport
New Zealand Waterfalls
1976 Health
1976 Christmas
DENOMINATION QUANTITY PRINTED (STAMPS) 6c 1.2m 8c 1.2m 18c 1.2m 23c 1.2m 3c + le 3.5m 4c + le 3.0m Se + le 1.25m Miniature Sheets 200 000 sheets 3c 26.lm Se B.lm 10c 3.05m 6c 7.lm 7.3m 7c 8c 2.2m IOc 1.32m 25c 1.32m 6c 5.3m 7c 5.3m 8c 2.0m 9c 1.2m 10c 1.2m 25c 1.2m 10c 3.5m 14c 1.2m 15c 3.0m 16c 2.25m 7c + le 3.75m 8c + le 3.25m 10c + le 1.25m Miniature Sheets 190000 sheets 7c 25.0m lie B.Om IBc 3.0m
DENOMINATION QUANTITY PRINTED (STAMPS)
ISSUE
1977 Commemorative
8c) Bc) set of three Bc)
10c) 10c) set of two Silver Anniversary 8c (5 stamps seAccession Queen Elizabeth Il tenant) Education 8c (5 stamps setenant) Seascapes/Beach Scenes IOc 16c IBc 30c 1977 Health 7c + 2c Bc + 2c 10c + 2c Miniature Sheets 1977 Christmas
7.5m 2.45m I 321 500 sheets 4.05m
7c 16c 23c
2.0m 1.5m 3.5m 4.5m 2.01m 2.01m 1.0lm 252600 sheets 25.0m B.Om 3.0m
8c IOc 15c 30c
0.13m 0.13m 0.13m O.13m
TOKELAU Tokelau Bird Life
i~s the little RhiM@s ~1'1@~ te@GFl blS fl®W be@lJ~i~wl ~Me W0Io/!@ is .... This 8 -panel coloured display was designed and produced by artists at POHQ, Wellington, for use at philatelic exhibitions throughout Europe and the United States. The display will be seen in New Zealand at some larger post offices. The panels reflect the love of nature so often apparent in New Zealand stamp design.
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Offices opened and closed OPENED Whitby Durham House Mid Avenue
Wellington Wellington Wanganui
14.8.78. 16.10.78. 30.10.78.
Changes The Philatelic Bureau standing order service has been amended to include individual items of postal
stationery.
CLOSED Waiuta Rata Waingaro Ngatimoti Belmont Wingatui Whakamaru Totaranui Koromiko Wellington Railway
Greymouth Wanganui Hamilton Nelson Wellington Dunedin Hamilton Nelson Blenheim Wellington
6.6.78. 29.6.78. 29.6.78. 28.7.78. 18.8.78. 23.8.78. 30.8.78. 11.10.78. 10.11.78. 17.11.78.
GOate Stamps )
Around 100 philatelists from New Zealand and Australia were amongst passengers cruising the South Pacific in March, aboard the "Oriana". The two weeks cruise left from Auckland on March 24. Aboard was Mr. Rae Chapman MBE, a specialist in Australian stamps, who geve talks and stimulated evening discussions on philately. While the ship was in pon, the Auckland Philatelic Sales Section was opened and qualified Post Office staff went aboard. The New Zealand Federation of Phil... telic Societies mounted a display of New Zealand stamps. Special
Aimed panicularly at younger prospective philatelists, the week coincides with the August school holidays. Many Philatelic Societies will hold exhibitions, open evenings, campetitions, etc., and stamp dealers will mount special publicity campaigns. Post Office involvement in the promotion this year will include a special date stamp insteed of postmarking slogans (which were used last year). Funher details about the date stamp will be released in the normal way.
arrangements were made at the ) The Tokelau Administration has other pons of call. A special date stamp to mark this unique lIVent _ used at l..--,tmocid'lII'ld on Man:tt 24.
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This year national STAMP WEEK will be held nationwide from August 20-26.
requested the manufacture of three steel date stamps for use in eddition to the present steel date ~ used at Atafu. Fakeofo and Nukunonu.
The new d ate stamps shou Id be in use at Tokelau by mid April 1979. Impressions of the new date stamps will be identical to those
currently in use.
As new or changed items of postal
stationery are issued, they will be sent automatically to those who have completed the appropriate section on the current Standing Order form. The stationery packs previously available on standing order, may still be obtained.
The Vear of the Ch i1d stamp wi 11 now be released on June 6, not August 1 as advertised in the October 1978 Bulletin. The United Nations has designated 1979 as International Year of the Child, in order to focus the attention of all countries on the special needs of children, and to stimulate the sharing of international experience and resources to promote the well being of children everywhere. To commemorate the event, the NZPO has designed the single 10c stamp showing three young children playing with blocks.
A new matt gum paper was used for the first time in the printing of the Statesmen stamp issue released in February of this year. The matt gum, which is colourless, gives the appearance that there is no gum on the stamps. However, the application of moisture in the usual manner soon proves the adhesive quality of the stamps la be excellent.
<NewZealand
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Stamps and Stationery Postage stamps and philatelic items of New Zealand, Tokelau, Ross Dependency, Western Samoa and the United Nations are available by mail order from the New Zealand Philatelic Bureau and may be bought over the counter at the six philatelic sales positions throughout New Zealand. Western Samoa and United Nations stamps are not available to overseas clients from the Philatelic Bureau. The Philatelic Bureau at Wanganui provides only a mail order service but all items sold from the Bureau are available from the philatelic counters at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton and Gisborne. Unaddressed First Day Covers Specially designed unaddressed first day covers for new issues are sold at philatelic sales counters and at all Chief Post Offices and selected district post offices for eight days from the day the stamps are released. They can also be ordered from any post office up to two months before release date. Special Packs Special philatelic packs are produced at intervals by the Post Office. They include the Definitive, annual Collector's, Postal Stationery, and First Day Cover packs. The first two can be bought from all permanent post offices, and all packs can be bought from the philatelic sales positions and by mail order from the Philatelic Bureau.
Posters and Postcards Special posters and postcards featuring stamp illustrations are available from the philatelic sales positions, Philatelic Bureau (mail orders) and all permanent post offices.
Other
Services Philatelic Bulletin The Post Office Philatelic Bulletin is sent out twice a year to all people on the philatelic mailing list. Special Pictorial Date Stamps These are provided for events of national interest. They are publicised in the New Zealand news media and on each occasion a notice with a reproduction of the postmark is displayed in all New Zealand post offices. The recently-introduced special pictorial date stamp standing order service (minimum deposit $5) is available upon application to; The Manager, Philatelic Bureau, Private Bag, Wanganui, New Zealand. Date stamps are sent on a special, unaddressed postcard that bears a 25 cent postage imprint. Mail Orders All mail orders are handled by the Philatelic Bureau. Collectors can either open a deposit account (see below) or include a remittance with their order.
Overseas Mail Orders All mail orders from overseas should be addressed to the Philatelic Bureau, Private Bag, Wanganui, New Zealand and, except for standing orders or deposit account orders, must be accompanied by the correct currency. This must include return postage. Approximate currency conversicn_ and postage rates are included in leaflets issued advising of new releases. Orders for first day covers must arrive on or before the day of issue. Deposit Accounts Collectors who deposit a minimum of $5 with the New Zealand Philatelic Bureau can open a deposit account. The cost of stamps collectors require is then taken from their deposit. Deposit accounts can be used with individual orders or where a stand¡ ing order is placed for stamps and other philatelic material. Standing Order Service This service is available on completion of a special form available on request from philatelic sales centres and the Philatelic Bureau.
GAcknowledgements The Philatelic Bulletin is prepared at Post Office Head¡ quarters, Wellington, and published in April and October each year. Articles may be extracted for reprinting without further permission. Acknowledgment to the New Zealand Philatelic Bulletin would be appreciated.