Elderly Rotorua man thrilled after beloved item stolen on his birthday returned

An 83-year-old man who was robbed on his birthday is "no longer Mr Glum" after his beloved item was found.

Jim Elley woke on Tuesday morning to find his electric gates smashed and his treasured log splitter stolen from his Hamurana property.

However, yesterday afternoon he got a phone call from a man who said he thought he may have bought the splitter on Facebook.

Sure enough, the serial number and look matched and Elley was reunited with his "little darling".

"It really made my day."

The $5000 log splitter had been put up for sale on Facebook for only $650.

A local man snatched up the deal and had it dropped off that same day.

It wasn't until the buyer read the news that he clicked that the machinery he had just bought may well have been stolen, Elley said.

Unfortunately, after the sale went through, the buyer was unable to track down the Facebook page of the seller.

Elley headed to the house and offered to pay some money so the buyers were not out of pocket, however they said he [Elley] had been through enough and did not accept.

"He wouldn't take any money."

And if that didn't warm the heart enough, that same day a local man had rung Elley and offered to pay the $250 excess on the insurance as a kind gesture.

Elley said other people had reached out to say they had their log splitters stolen recently too and that the items were going like "hot potatoes" with thieves.

He said his "little darling was sitting in the garage with all her bells and whistles" and that he had not noticed any damage yet.

The machine was completely padlocked up so that the same thing could not happen again, he said.

When asked if he had still had a nice birthday, Elley said he still got his "rotisserie chooky done and had some champagne with my lovely wife".

"I was even treated to a dozen oysters too."

Although his 83rd year started off with a jumble, he said things were looking up.

"I really am a happy chappy now."