A British and Irish Lions fan who lost his passport and £200 while touring New Zealand last year is having the cash returned to him by his Kiwi hosts.

Welshman Paul Roles couldn't find his passport before flying home following the second test in Wellington.

He frantically searched his bags, unpacking and repacking them several times before going to the British Consulate to be issued a temporary one.

"For about an hour I was taking all my clothes out and going through everything - I couldn't find it," he told the Herald.

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Roles quickly phoned the consulate who told him to grab a photo at a local pharmacy and race down to their office and they'll get it sorted.

Paul Roles slept in the same room as Richie McCaw. Photo / Supplied
Paul Roles slept in the same room as Richie McCaw. Photo / Supplied

After waiting 40 minutes for the temporary passport to be made and a short meeting with the British High Commissioner, Roles was on his way home.

Throughout the tour, he stayed with several New Zealanders as part of the "Adopt a Lions Fan" initiative, kick-started by Adam Gilshnan.

In Auckland, he stayed with Darryl and Helen Smithson who were more than welcoming, even if they made him sleep with a life size cut-out of Richie McCaw.

Last week and well over a year later he received a message on Facebook from Helen, who said she had some news he would never believe.

While cleaning out the basement where he slept, the Smithson's found a bumbag with a passport and £200 in it.

Darryl Smithson with Paul Roles' passport and cash he left behind. Photo / Supplied
Darryl Smithson with Paul Roles' passport and cash he left behind. Photo / Supplied

"I was like you've got to be kidding me.

"I'm not going to know if they found it and just said keep the 200 quid and throw away the passport.

"The honesty of that is unbelievable. That's rugby for you, that's what rugby does," Roles said, admitting he was gobsmacked.

Darryl Smithson said they never thought about keeping the money and were in the process of returning it to him.

"We were just going to do a transfer because we were a bit concerned about sending the things through the mail.

"He's done quite well because we've been dicking around for two weeks and the exchange rates got better for him," he said.