Papers back - without precious photographs

When Kalveer and Sandy Hayer noticed a bag sitting outside in the garden, they rushed to retrieve it.

But their excitement turned to tears when they realised the one item they had hoped would be in the bag was not.

Just over a week has passed since thieves raided the family's home in Glendowie, in Auckland.

Among the various items stolen was a precious small, black leather pouch.

Inside were a handful of photos and a lock of hair belonging to the couple's youngest daughter, Nia.

Baby Nia, whose name means "foundation" in Punjabi, was born last January and died soon afterwards, of a hernia.

The couple and their two-year-old daughter Maala moved from the UK to New Zealand last September in the hope that it would help them recover from their loss.

The Herald reported the Hayers' story on Friday and exactly a week after the robbery, they woke on Monday morning to find a small sports bag out in the garden.

"That's the first thing we do - is look out the window every morning," Mr Hayer said.

"As soon as I saw it, I ran outside and obviously it was really emotional. My wife was smiling and crying. But then when we looked through it, my daughter's things weren't there.

"[Sandy] was in tears."

The thieves had returned a handful of personal documents, including financial papers and the couple's marriage certificate.

But the Hayers, although grateful for the return of the papers, are again pleading to the thieves to return the only mementoes they have of their baby girl.

"As parents, we will always have memories," Mr Hayer said.

"But her photos [and] to have her lock of hair - it's very personal."

The black leather pouch - an A4-sized case - was in a small blue luggage bag, similar to a carry-on airline bag, that was taken in the robbery.

Mr Hayer said it was possible that the thieves had not even discovered the pouch, which was in a separate pocket in the front of the luggage bag.

The items returned to the family were all from the bag's main pocket.

"She was beautiful. Just beautiful," Mr Hayer said of his baby daughter. "I have faith that they will return this to us. That's what I'm going on - faith."