COVER N.139 - NEW ZELAND.

Postmark: Whanganui 16.05.22 NZ
Posted on the 16th May; received on the 13th July 2022
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If I were to drill a hole through the crust of the globe and follow right through to the other side, I'd be popping out at where this very beautiful cover came from: the antipodean New Zealand. Thank you so much Peter, not only for the nice cover, but also for the opportunity of adding such an interesting entry into my philatelic atlas.

I would love to visit New Zealand. It is a place which I associate with extreme scenic beauty and on top of it, it is, for the moment, led by a human being that has given the world a lesson on how to handle the aftermath of a hate  episode. If New Zealand is antipodean to me, Jacinda Ardern is antipodean to many politicians we know. My utmost respect to you Ms. Ardern.

Stamps left to right:

According to Wikipedia, 1.3% of the Population of New Zealand follows the Islam religion. Acknowledging this fact New Zealand Post has issued on 06APR2022 a beautiful commemorative issue comprising  four 1,5 NZ Dollar stamp (also issued in minisheet format) dedicated to Eid Mubarak. As far as I managed to grasp, Eid Mubarak are greetings that are expressed by the faithful during the Ramadan feast days. According to New Zealand Post website "These stamps feature "Eid Mubarak" (Eid Blessings) in Arabic calligraphy over the silhouette of a mosque, as well as the wording  “1443 AH” (the Islamic year) and "Eid Mubarak", followed by “New Zealand”.

Souvenir sheet containing six 45 Cent stamps issued on 16AUG1994, on the occasion of World Stamp Exhibition PHILAKOREA 1994

The stamps on this minisheet were also issued on the same date as a ten stamp double row five stamp se-tenant strip, dedicated to wild animals. Further to the tiger, panda, elephant, polar bear, giraffe and lion on the minisheet, the strip included stamps with images of an hippopotamus, spider monkey, rhino and zebra.