Sailor keeps his eight foreign fires burning

It would appear the saying "a girl in every port" is true for one young Australian naval officer who, while staying in Auckland, wrote love letters to women around the world.

The officer - who is believed to be in his mid 20s and known as Gav - was about to set sail last Thursday when he ducked into waterfront cafe Barabra for a takeaway coffee.

He'd been in several times throughout the week but was in a rush before boarding the ship and asked staff if they could do him a favour by mailing some postcards for him.

"His ship was leaving ... He nicely asked us 'oh, could you please do [me] a favour, would you mail this for me", said owner Steaffan Ljunggren.

When the cafe quietened down later in the day staff picked up the postcards from beside the coffee machine.

Some were addressed to his parents and a few aunts.

Another eight appeared to be love letters to different women across the world - from Russia and Latvia to the Ukraine and Germany.

The postcards, including one written to "Little Golden Retriever Baby", were similar.

"How are you?" he would ask, before describing Auckland as a small but busy city, "like a mini Sydney".

Each was signed off along the lines of: "I am thinking of you, I love you and miss you."

There was also a personalised stamp on each of them.

The postcards are now on their way to his many girlfriends.

Mr Ljunggren called the officer a "true sailor".

"You know, one woman in every port."

The officer arrived in Auckland on the Royal Australian Navy's largest amphibious ship, HMAS Choules, which was docked at Princes Wharf, right outside Barabra Cafe.