NZ's great but no place like gnome

The British owner of a stolen garden gnome taken on a world journey said he enjoyed his adventures in New Zealand.

Murphy the 3.5kg gnome was taken from pensioner Eve Stuart-Kelso's Gloucestershire garden about 10 months ago and went on to traverse three continents and 12 countries.

He was then returned to Stuart-Kelso's garden minus his feet, but with a photo album describing his adventures.

Stuart-Kelso said yesterday that among the photos was one of Murphy standing on the Franz Josef glacier in the Southern Alps.

"The young man [who took him] was called Simon Randall and he said that New Zealand was his favourite country - it was so varied," she told Radio New Zealand.

Stuart-Kelso said she had met Randall and the first thing he did was apologise. He told her he thought Murphy had lost his feet while abseiling down a mountain.

Murphy has achieved national celebrity status because of his exploits. A letter supposedly from Murphy blamed wanderlust.

"I came to the conclusion that there is more to life than watching the daily commuter traffic and allowing passing cats to urinate on you," the letter read.

- NZPA