Tears turn to joy as 7-year-old's stolen tablet replaced

Waipapa 7-year-old Eli Clark with his new tablet and Jody and Adam Blackwood of Keri Tech. Photo / supplied

The story of an upset seven-year-old boy whose tablet was stolen has had a happy ending after a Kerikeri business replaced the device for free.

Eli Clark, a pupil at Riverview School, was playing on his street in Waipapa two weeks ago when he was approached by a boy of about 14 who robbed him of his tablet.

His mother, Lisa Watson, said Eli was ''pretty upset'' about the theft.

A week later the smashed tablet was found by a local man who put up a post on social media in a bid to find the owner.

Watson saw the post, as did the owners of Keri Tech, a business specialising in phone and tablet repairs.

They offered to repair the tablet at no cost but it turned out to be too badly damaged.

They invited Eli to visit the shop anyway and surprised him with a brand new Samsung tablet.

''He was so excited,'' Watson said.

''He was a bit overwhelmed. He thought they were kidding. It was such a nice thing to do after such a horrible experience.''

Keri Tech co-owner Adam Blackwood said he didn't do it for the publicity and was a little embarrassed by it.

''It's just what you do, you look after your community. We wanted to put a smile on that little boy's face.''

The tablet was protected by a pin code so Watson assumed the thief had smashed it once he discovered he couldn't use it. The incident has been reported to the police.