The Westland Recycling Team

Glimmer Glow-Worm

Glow worms are the larval stage in the life of an insect called the fungus gnat. Although they are most spectacular in caves, glow worms are also quite common outside – they can be found wherever conditions are damp, food is in good supply and there is an overhanging wall. The scientific name of the New Zealand species is Arachnocampa Luminosa. The glow is the result of a chemical reaction that involves several components; Luciferin, a waste product; luciferase, the enzyme that acts upon luciferin, ATP the energy molecule; and oxygen. These combined form an electronically excited product capable of emitting a blue-green light.

Ruby Rock

The Goodletite form of New Zealand Ruby Rock contains Ruby, Sapphire and Tourmaline Crystals beautifully arranged by nature in one stone, displaying a landscape of colour. Goodletite is extremely rare and only found in Hokitika, New Zealand. Goodletite consists of clusters or ruby-sapphire crystals set within a matrix of emerald green chromian muscovite (fuchsite) margarite (calcium mica), accessory chromite, and tourmaline.

Precious Pounamu

Pounamu occurs in two mineral forms. Nephrite, the most common form, is a calcium magnesium silicate mineral of the amphibole group. It contains small amounts of iron, which determine the depth of the green colour.

The South Island Ngāi Tahu people have a particularly close relationship with pounamu, which is found only within their tribal area. It is valued for its strength, durability and beauty. However, its value transcends the aesthetic and practical properties. Because of its link with chiefs and peace making, it is considered to have mana (status) and to be tapu (sacred).

Frosty Glacier

The Franz Josef or Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere is a glacier located in Westland National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Together with the Fox Glacier 20 km to the south, it is unique in the fact that it descends from the Southern Alps to just 240 metres above sea level amidst the greenery and lushness of a temperate rainforest.

Goldie Nugget

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from the Latin aurum) and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal which, for many centuries, has been used as money, a store of value and in jewelry. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, underground "veins" and in alluvial deposits. It is a dense, soft, shiny, yellow metal, and is the most malleable and ductile of the known metals.

Westie Whitebait

In spring, ïnanga (the most common kind of whitebait) swim in from the sea through river mouths and estuaries then travel upstream and grow into adult fish. After growing, they migrate downstream and mate in the plants on the edge of the river. When the river is high, the hatched eggs (larvae) are swept out to sea, where they grow into whitebait ... and the cycle begins again.