This is New Zealand's largest and highest valued stamp. It is also one
of the most controversial as many stamp collectors believe that rather than
responding to demand for a high value postage stamp for documents and
parcels, the stamp was a ploy to fleece collectors.

Recess printed in a dull blue with gold leaf
embossing, this design incorporates several New Zealand icons - Mt Cook,
the native Ponga fern and the Kowhai tree flower. A Maori rafter pattern in
gold leaf borders at the top while the New Zealand flag is also woven into
the engraving.
The same stamp design printed by offset lithography,
pre-cancelled and overprinted 'SPECIMEN' was included in the
2009 Timpex Stamp Exhibition
miniature sheet.

The stamp was printed on water-marked
paper with a special fluorescent surface printed security pattern as shown
in the above photograph which is visible under long wave (around 420
nanometre) ultraviolet light.