When James Gudsell walked up to an automatic teller machine in Napier last week he was astonished to see that whoever had been there before him had left a stash of cash behind.
"It was a big bundle of $50 notes," he said.
Hohepa Homes resident Mr Gudsell had recently started flatting in Taradale, his first taste of independent living in the community.
He had quickly scooped up the forgotten cash and taken it straight inside the Westpac Bank, where it was received by a surprised teller.
"I didn't think of doing anything else," Mr Gudsell said. "I'm far too honest."
A count revealed Mr Gudsell had handed in $2000.
Westpac Napier assistant manager Louisa Blackman said that while it was rare for someone to leave cash at an ATM, it wasn't unheard of.
"Sometimes the machine will have a slight delay and the customer will get impatient and walk off.
"If the money sits there and isn't picked up, after a certain amount of time the machine will retract it.
"In this case James has come upon the cash before it was retracted, and thankfully he has been honest enough to bring it into the bank.
"It was a happy result for all concerned."
To say thank you to Mr Gudsell, the bank had invited him back on Thursday to give him a reward.
"They phoned and asked what James would like," said his caregiver Toni Mackie, of Hohepa Homes.
"We said, 'Just surprise him', so they gave him a cafe voucher and he went out for afternoon tea.
"A passionfruit muffin and a flat white with marshmallows put a smile on his face," said Ms Mackie.
Mr Gudsell said it was a nice end to his week, as he had just had an operation to remove skin cancer and had been feeling a bit down.