這套郵票的主題是有關紐西蘭南島的冰河。大家有唸過國中地理吧？地理課本裡有講到冰河如何形成的，我就簡短敘述一下。就是呢，海拔高的高山冬天下雪量大，夏天也融化不了全部的雪，經年累月的雪形成了冰，冰就順勢流下山變成冰河，通常在低海拔的地方就會融化成水了。可是！因為紐西蘭南島的中央山脈西邊的地勢陡斜，冰河移動速度較快，冰還來不及融化成水就這樣下山了。這是非常難得的喔！聽領隊說，全世界就只有兩個國家仍舊可以在低海拔的地方看到冰河，紐西蘭是其中一個，另外一個是阿根廷。低海拔可以看到冰河的好處就是，你可以不用搭乘直昇機到深山裡就可以看到冰河啦！還有一個好處就是，你可以登上冰河去喔。
我幾年前就和表妹跑去參加爬冰河的活動。紐西蘭南島的西南方有兩處觀賞冰河的觀光景點，一個是Fox Glacier，另一個則是Franz Josef Glacier。Franz Josef Glacier的冰河比較多，也很壯觀，坐在遊覽車走在公路上就可以看到山裡有好幾處銀白的冰河；但我挑了Fox Glacier當落腳處，因為那裡不但有冰河，還有一個非常美麗的湖叫Lake Matheson，明信片的Matheson湖上倒映著餘雪的山脈山峰，其中一個就是紐西蘭的最高山：庫克山，雖是紐西蘭最高啦，但也比我們台灣的玉山矮一點點。
我自己訂的Motel，還有免費的專車接送喔，但是很好笑，我訂的那家旅館的接送車沒來，把我們接走的是另外一家！我想說那就算了，反正旅館過宿費不要給我調高就好…然後就很幸運啊，我們四個人住的是一棟獨門獨戶的房子喔，不但有完整的庭院、車庫，屋內該有的廚房、客廳、房間、浴室全部都很齊全，就像是普通人住的房子，根本就不像是住汽車旅館！
開車接送的司機是個高大的老阿公（我猜是旅館老闆的爸爸），看得出來年輕時應該非常帥，只是老阿公有點重聽，而且感覺上有點怪怪的，讓我們四個女生有些不舒服。但他人也很好，不但免費到客運車站接我們到汽車旅館，還免費接送我們去遊湖，途中碰到一個徒步的日本男生，他說很不忍心看人家走路，就好心地讓那個男生上車跟我們擠。因為我比較會扯話題，也比較聽得懂老阿公的紐西蘭英文，所以我坐在前面跟老阿公聊天，那日本男生上車後就坐在我旁邊。又湊巧我也會講日文嘛！我又跟那個男生聊了一下。下車後，老阿公眨眨眼跟我說那男的不錯哦？我覺得有點莫名其妙的…。後來表妹也跟我說那日本男生很帥。呃…我在跟那個日本男生聊天的時候一點也不覺得他很帥，一點也不覺得他有多好啊！我覺得他就很普通，跟其他男生一樣咩，難道我真的是「見山不是山」嗎？
Matheson湖非常漂亮，老阿公說我們很幸運，連續幾天氣候都不佳，湖上霧氣很重，根本就看不到美麗的藍色天空和山峰，而我們早上去遊湖，天氣卻非常晴朗。雖然湖很漂亮，但是我怎麼樣也找不到明信片上那個拍攝角度。我們繞湖走了一圈只花了半小時到45分鐘左右，因為老阿公在等我們回去，時間有點緊湊，就沒辦法走另外一條遠一點的路了。
下午我們就去看冰河。可以搭直昇機到深山裡看冰河，有的還可以下飛機到冰河上走走，但那個貴很多，而且深山氣候不是很穩定，常發生一些事故，所以我們就去參加登冰河的隊伍。登冰河就要穿上專屬的釘鞋，那雙鞋有六公斤重喔！皮製的登山鞋，把鐵釘片綁在鞋底，就這樣爬上山、爬上冰河。每個人還領到了一根登山棍。
那時是夏天，從山腳爬上山，本來是爬得很熱，但越過某海拔線後突然就感到漸漸地冷起來，必須穿上長袖衣服，還好我帶了兩件長袖，一件借給表妹穿，要不然會冷死。走走停停的，休息時領隊問我們是從哪裡來的，我回答台灣，他還一副很驚訝的表情，我問他為什麼要這麼驚訝，他說因為很少台灣人會來參加這種。我想也是啦，台灣觀光客好像都比較喜歡坐直昇機去看冰河。
我們沿著冰河的岸邊爬上山，走到某一定點，領隊就帶我們走上冰河。冰河很妙唷！遠遠看是白色的，到某個近距離是天藍色的，再低頭仔細看一下冰的表面，ㄟ…都是黑色的塵埃！冰很硬，有時不小心滑倒或是撞到，還會刮傷。冰河上有各式各樣形狀的巨型冰，我們邊走還不忘趕緊互相拍照留念！真的是非常特別的經驗。
整個爬山活動花了四個小時，雙腳非常地痛，脫下那雙六公斤的鞋子檢查…天哪！兩腳的腳後跟都脫皮，腳的大拇指的指甲也脫落了！我是最慘的啦，表妹他們頂多腳後跟脫皮而已，不知道為什麼我這麼幸運，還可以讓我看到整片指甲脫落後，下面的肉是長什麼樣子的。那之後的幾個月我必須要用OK繃固定指甲，好保護指甲肉，並讓新的指甲長出來。
穿完那登山釘鞋後，我都再也不能穿鞋子了，腳後跟脫皮嘛！不管是去哪裡玩或是上飛機，全程都穿拖鞋，還好紐西蘭是鄉下，夏天紐西蘭人自己平時都是穿拖鞋逛街，大家當然不會在意我囉。
想去紐西蘭西海岸玩的人就自己到下面的網站查資料吧！
http://www.west-coast.co.nz/index.html
●郵票簡介原文
Scenic Glaciers
12 June 1992
The awesome activity of the huge glaciers of the Pleistocene ice ages has shaped much of the face of New Zealand's South Island over the past two million years. Since that era ended around 14,000 years ago, glaciers have fluctuated at near their present sizes. The 3,150 inventoried glaciers in New Zealand range from many at one hectare in size to the majestic Tasman Glacier which is 9,634 hectares in area and 28.5 kilometres in length.
Glaciers are formed high up in the mountains where the summer melt is unable to remove all of the winter snow. A surplus of snow accumulates each year, and it is this snow which feeds the glaciers.
The snow is transformed into ice and flows slowly down the mountain into the warmer temperatures of lower altitudes where it melts away. Like the hour hand of a clock, the movement of the ice down the mountain is too slow to be seen. But it can move between several centimetres a day to several metres a day in fast flowing, steep glacier trunks. Debris falling from the mountainside is carried on and within the glacier and further debris is collected at the glacier base by the moving ice. The debris forms an abrasive layer which gradually wears and gouges the bedrock into smooth, glaciated forms.
Glaciers behave as huge but very sensitive climate indicators. While the glacier ice continually flows downwards, the position of the glacier front in the valley changes with the altering climate. In cooler, snowy climates the glacier front advances down the valley and when the climate is warm and dry the glacier front retreats.
‧45c Glacier Ice:
Ice of the Franz Josef Glacier fractures as it moves over its steep rough bed, forming these spectacular frozen pinnacles called 'seracs'. Melting of the ice has revealed internal ice structures which were formed deep within the glacier.
‧50c Tasman Glacier:
The Tasman Glacier, in the Mount Cook National Park, is the largest glacier in New Zealand. Measuring a mammoth 28.5 kilometres long, the Tasman is extensive even by world standards. Numerous basins of accumulated snow feed a single trunk of unusually thick ice which is hundreds of metres deep. In December 1991 a massive rock avalanche crashed 2720m from the summit of Mount Cook on to the glacier below, adding to the massive load of rubble carried by this glacier.
‧80c Snowball Glacier:
The Snowball Glacier is a collective name for a group of glaciers. The glacier shown on the 80c stamp is one of two glaciers tongues which drain a large icefield named the Marion Plateau. Because of the low relief of the surrounding ridges there is very little rock debris and the glacier cuts a striking path of clean ice through smoothed bedrock.
‧$1.00 Brewster Glacier:
The Brewster Glacier, situated on Mount Brewster, is 2.75 kilometres long with a gentle gradient and crevasse-free surface. It is one of the few glaciers situated near a State Highway but it is seldom noticed by travellers. Only the tip of the glacier's snout is visible form the road at the brink of a precipice high above Haast Pass.
‧$1.50 Fox Glacier:
A broad, high block of land provides plenty of snow accumulation areas to feed New Zealand's famed Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. The glaciers are very similar in both shape and size and are renowned for the low altitudes to which the ice descends within the forest zone. Huge volumes of ice spill through steep, narrow valleys well below the upper forest limits. The spectacular terrain coupled with the low altitude of the glacier fronts makes for magnificent views. Both the glaciers can be reached after just a short walk.
‧$1.80 Franz Josef Glacier:
A broad, high block of land provides plenty of snow accumulation areas to feed New Zealand's famed Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. The glaciers are very similar in both shape and size and are renowned for the low altitudes to which the ice descends within the forest zone. Huge volumes of ice spill through steep, narrow valleys well below the upper forest limits. The spectacular terrain coupled with the low altitude of the glacier fronts makes for magnificent views. Both the glaciers can be reached after just a short walk.
‧郵票簡介與圖片來源：
http://www.nzstamps.co.nz/nzstamps/index.html 
