New Zealand’s Hokitika Wildfoods Festival Stamp Set

There is an interesting event on the south side of New Zealand each year called the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival. This yearly festival has been running for the past 20 years and draws crowds of 15,000+ people who want to experience eating strange food that cannot be found in the local grocery store.

The festival has become a premier event in Westland, New Zealand. Each year new wild foods are introduced. One of the weirdest was the wasp larvae ice cream. Like any good festival, local entertainment abounds, ranging from bands and solo singers to mimes and dancers. The festival has been awarded the “Most Unique Event in New Zealand” and the winner of the “New Zealand Tourism Award.” The untamed wilderness of Westland boasts glaciers, national parks,
lakes, rivers, wildlife and a rainforest.

To honor this crazy festival in 2005, New Zealand issued Europa stamps that could make your stomach churn. This special stamp booklet features West Coast Possum Pate, sheep’s testicles (that are an apparent delicacy), and worms. The stamp booklet also features actual award winning recipes so you can make your own strange food concoctions at home. The strange stamp set also features pictures of the festival participants having a blast and animal stickers.

If you are looking to add these strange Hokitika Wildfood stamps to your collection, Stamp Center has them in stock for you in their new “Strange and Unusual” category section.