Thieves hit grieving mum: 'It's like losing my son all over again'

Kingston Karongaroa-Mohi's mum says it feels like she's lost her son all over again. Photo / Supplied

A devastated Hawke's Bay mum says it feels like she's losing her dead son all over again, after thieves stole his laptop filled with precious memories.

On Friday, Patrice Karangaroa woke to find her car on Napier's Wharerangi Rd had been broken into.

Gear including an overnight bag with shoes, make-up, items of clothing and perfume were taken, but it was the loss of a black Acer laptop that hit her hardest.

"It's like losing my son all over again."

"That can all be replaced, but my son's laptop means more to me than anything," Karongaroa said.

Her son, Kingston Karongaroa-Mohi was just nine when he lost his battle with terminal cancer on December 22, 2017.

He had been diagnosed with T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in 2013, becoming terminal three years later.

The laptop was one of Kingston's prides and joys. Photo / Supplied

Throughout his battle, the community rallied around him, making memories him and his family could treasure.

Karongaroa says the laptop held many of those, including a video from former All Black Israel Dagg that was played at his funeral, and stories that Kingston wrote about how he was feeling.

Kingston was a big rugby fan. Photo / Supplied

"He also used it for watching YouTube videos, Skyping his family wherever they were in the world, because he was confined to his four walls and so he could watch SkyGo, to keep up with the All Blacks," Karongaroa said.

They believe it was stolen sometime between 11.30pm on Thursday night and 4.30am on the Friday morning.

"My honest gut feeling is that it was people walking home from the concert just being idiots, trying all the cars and my car happened to be the car they got in to."

On Monday, Karongaroa was given a false tip that the laptop had been found by road workers, but despite the setback, she has not given up hope.

"I have this full gut feeling that Kingston will make sure it comes back to us."

Friends and family have pleaded on social media for its safe return and the police have been contacted.

"I guarantee that they would have seen something on Facebook, I just hope they haven't freaked out and decided to ditch it somewhere stupid."

She says there will be "no questions asked".

"Please return it. You can have anything in the bags but we don't want to let go of anything of [Kingston's]. We've already had to say goodbye to him."

A police spokeswoman said the laptop had been reported stolen and inquiries were continuing.