Went for a walk with Stretch and Anne, and left the camera on the rail in the carpark. Drove back an hour later after suitable panic to find it gone. Depression sets in, since I like that camera and use it all the time. Insurance forms, looking for camera bargains – not much change from $800 to replace. Prospect of traipsing round the Auckland stores tomorrow.

Rang parks to see if anyone found it – bugger all chance I’d say, so goodbye camera. Police rang a few minutes later – someone had found it, called in at the copshop to pick it up, rang the bloke, many thanks.

Nice to know there are honest people – and I wonder where else in the world this would happen, a busy carpark in a tourist area? So I thanked the bloke and said I’d give him $50 as reward, but how to get it to him? Don’t worry he said, leave it at the Subway cafe on the road, they know me, any of the staff. So we went there – the staff didn’t know him from a bar of soap, but took the $50 anyway. It got delivered when he next went in for a bite. How about that?