Gold Ounce 2024 Cave Taniwha, Coin from New Zealand - detailed information

New Zealand uses the New Zealand Dollar as its circulation currency for daily transactions. The country also issues a number of commemorative and collector coins, including in the internationally popular gold one-ounce format (abbreviated as 1 oz Au, where "Au" comes from the Latin word for gold, Aurum). Authorised by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, the official issuer of these coins is NZ Post - which also issues the country's postal stamps. Manufacturing of the coins is commissioned to various foreign mints.

The coins are "Non-Circulating Legal Tender" (NCLT) and not bullion because they are issued at prices much higher than their intrinsic value and are targeted at collectors who appreciate them for their artistic or sentimental value, and not at bullion investors.

This coin is part of a range featuring Māori folklore, and is the first design in the Dwelling Taniwha series.

NZ Post (the issuer of the coin) says about it:
Te ao Māori (the Māori world) has many mythological references to supernatural entities and beings which dwell in te ao wairua (the spiritual realm). Taniwha feature prominently as powerful entities that can have both positive or a negative influence on people and environments. Although they are often depicted as fearsome in appearance, they can appear in many different forms.

Taniwha are also known to dwell in te ao kikokiko (the terrestrial realm) and there are many narratives speaking of them. These stories give names and locations of taniwha, and they also describe what form and appearance each taniwha assumes. There are also waiata (songs) and haka (dances) attributed to their taniwha. Taniwha in their earthly form are often elemental in apperance, such as wood, wind, water or stone. Whether celestial or terrestrial, taniwha are a special part of te ao Māori and the peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand.