Tonga Millennium

Time flies! It has already been more than 14 years since everyone was talking about the turn of the century. Naturally, this also happened worldwide among postal services. Many series of stamps were dedicated to the turn of the century. But I still consider the most beautiful series to be that of Tonga. The Kingdom of Tonga is located in the Pacific Ocean and is an archipelago belonging to Polynesia. The realm comprises 170 islands, 36 of which are inhabited. It has strong ties with New Zealand. This is also evident from the first 0.10 Pa'anga stamp, on which the names Dunedin and New Zealand appear in the margin. The series of four stamps was issued on New Year's Day, January 1, 2000. And because it lies close to the Date Line, Tonga was also the first country to issue a series of stamps on that first day of the year 2000. The name Dunedin was listed on the margin of the sheet following another name that appeared on the stamp below it, the name of the printer: Southern Colour Print. A household name in New Zealand and the Polynesian islands. The printing technique was not remarkable, but the finish was. The design of the stamps was round with a flying dove in the upper left. The white dove flutters above a clock, and various images are incorporated into the dial. The 0.10 Pa'anga stamp depicts a flower, a Heilala flower, a national symbol of Tonga. The $1 stamp shows the Ha'amonga monument. The monument was built in the 13th century and served as a gateway to the ruler's palace. It is over five meters tall. The $2.50 stamp features an image of a double canoe. This type of canoe is called a Hokule'a. It has two sails, in contrast to the Kalia, which had only one sail. The perforation is noteworthy, not because it is round, as many stamps have appeared in this way, but because of the interruption in the shape of the dove's contours. This is punched out completely up to the perforation holes. The King's crown; in 2000, this was Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, born in 1918 and deceased on September 10, 2006. The crown was crafted in 1873 by an Australian goldsmith, and it is said to be the heaviest gold crown in the world. In 1875, a 'constitution' was adopted (Constitution) which also described the national flag, the national coat of arms, and the national anthem. Simultaneously with the issuance of the four stamps printed in sheets of 12, a block containing two stamps from the series was made available. These two stamps were exactly the same as the stamps from the sheets, including the die-cut dove and the round perforation. The block displays a message stating that the Kingdom of Tonga is the first to issue a message of peace at the turn of the century. And, of course, the International Date Line is marked by a clock pointing to a few minutes past 12. Upon seeing the many issues from dozens of countries regarding the turn of the century, the issue from Åland caught my eye. The block of four, also round, stamps was issued on January 3, 2000. Here too, the message is about peace: the Islands of Peace. Coincidence? Or were the two postal administrations in contact with each other? Incidentally, I find the Tonga issue many times more beautiful than those of all the other countries that issued stamps to commemorate the turn of the century. What do you consider the most beautiful issue with the theme 'turn of the century 2000'?