tower and lantern were shipped to Cape Egmont in 1881. It was electrified in 1951 and in 1986 became fully automated.

$2.50 – Cape Reinga
Built in 1941, the Cape Reinga lighthouse was the last manned lighthouse constructed in New Zealand. Today, it’s our most well known and most visited, easily found at the end of the road at the northernmost tip of New Zealand. The lighthouse replaced one located on nearby Motuopao Island (built in 1879) and was powered by diesel-generated electricity. Now automated and managed by computer from Wellington, it’s often the first light in New Zealand that sailors see.
This location is also significant to Māori, known as Te Rerenga Wairua (The departing place of the spirits), this is the point in which Māori spirits depart, before starting the ancestral journey back to the homelands of Hawaiki.

Today, all lighthouses are automated – the last to be converted was The Brothers lighthouse in July 1990. And while few of those built of local hardwood have survived due to the harsh conditions on New Zealand’s coastlines., the lighthouses made of hardier materials continue to perform, decade after decade.

Technical details

Date of Issue: 7 January 2009.
Number of stamps: Five gummed stamps.
Denominations: 50c, $1.00, $1.50, $2.00, $2.50.
Stamps and first day cover designed by: Vertigo Design, Wellington.
Printer and process: Australia Post, Sprintpak by offset lithography.
Number of colours: Four process colours plus clear ‘glow in the dark’ ink.
Stamp size and format: 40mm x 30mm.
Paper type: Tullis Russell 104gsm red phosphor gummed stamp paper.
Number of stamps per sheet: 25.
Perforation gauge: 13 x 13.33.
Special blocks: Plate/imprint blocks may be obtained by purchasing at least six stamps for a sheet. Barcode blocks are available in both A and B formats.
Period of sale: Unless stocks are exhausted earlier, these stamps will remain on sale until close of business 6 January 2010.