When 12 of Richard Fenn's beloved bonsai trees were stolen from his Tauranga backyard, he never thought he'd see them again.
So when hours after Fenn's plight was published in the Bay of Plenty Times in September and 10 bonsai were returned by a stranger, he was overwhelmed.
A reader who spent $2500 unwittingly buying them then read the story and gave them back to Fenn, knowing how heartbroken he was.
These days, the retiree is still delighted at the return of the trees which sit in his Tauranga home's backyard, but he's taking no chances at them going missing again.
"I've installed some security lights so if anyone goes in there, the whole places lights up," he said.