Bicycles in the streetscape before and after the earthquake

Dutch flag Written in: Dutch • Jan van Tellingen •
history history hunting
In 1931, the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand was struck by an earthquake. 75 years after the natural disaster, a miniature booklet was released by the “New Zealand Post” in 2006. The earthquake, also known as the Napier earthquake, occurred at 10:47 a.m. on Tuesday, February 3, and had a devastating magnitude of 7,9 on the Richter scale.The quake lasted two and a half minutes. 525 aftershocks were recorded in the two subsequent weeks. The main tremor was felt in large parts of the southern half of the North Island.

Port city Napier

Street scene in Napier before the earthquake Napier is an important port city. Many sheep are kept in the region around Napier, and it is one of the largest producers of apples, pears, and stone fruits. The region is also a major wine producer.

Medical emergency services in the street The earthquake claimed the lives of 258 people. Medical emergency services were also visible in the streets. Napier has a rich Maori history. In October 1769, Captain James Cook sailed down the east coast of New Zealand and already saw that this was the ideal location for a harbor. Later, European colonists came here to trade, hunt whales, and carry out missionary work. From the mid-19th century, farmers and the first hotel owners also came to Napier.

Refugees also used the bicycle as a means of transport. A large part of the city was destroyed by an earthquake. The earthquake also resulted in approximately 40 km² of land in the northwest of Napier being flooded. The entire center was rebuilt immediately, during the heyday of Art Deco.

Celebration of the 75th anniversary in the streets of Napier

7 miniature sheets

7 miniature sheets depicted on the back of the booklet

Napier nominated for the World Heritage List

In 2007, Napier became the first site in New Zealand to be nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage List due to its Art Deco architecture.

9 comments

  1. It is true. The bicycle is an environmentally friendly means of transport worldwide. In all conceivable circumstances.

    To answer

  3. '@Toon, and .....at the same time supports a hugely important cause !!
    Indispensable for theme collectors. It also encourages beginners to create a theme pouch. Don't grumble so often 🙂
    I am going to the family reunion and will read further comments after the weekend.

    To answer

  4. '@Tone
    The stamps have also been printed on a sheet containing all 20 different ones.
    The 7 sheets come from the miniature booklet (prestige booklet) that costs about three times as much.

    To answer

  7. '@Albert, I didn't claim that! I described this release positively. Instead of grumbling, the (theme) collector is being ripped off!

    To answer

  8. I believe there are 40 stamps in it with a value of N$ 0,45. The retail price of this booklet was N$ 19,95, a difference of only N$ 1,95 compared to the nominal value of the stamps; PostNL could take a leaf out of their book regarding such a small markup (10%) for a booklet.

    To answer

  9. '@ Oompeur, It's not all that bad, is it? The values ​​of the stamps actually mean absolutely nothing to me. What matters to me is the uniqueness of the thematic approach to the event!

    To answer

Leave a comment

The time at which your response becomes visible may vary by language and take up to 24 hours.

Related Articles

guest post