A century-old family heirloom has made its way back home thanks to someone's good will.
Nearly two months ago a member of the public located a gold locket at Woolworths in Pukekohe South.
Hoping to reunite it with its rightful owner, the woman handed it into the Pukekohe Police Station.
"A woman had found the locket, which was engraved and had two images inside," Senior Sergeant Jeremy Steedman says.
Police posted on Facebook in the hope of tracking down the owner.
"Weeks went by and nothing," Senior Sergeant Steedman says.
"We were starting to lose hope that someone would claim it, until last week when we were visited by Cameron out of the blue."
Cameron told Police his mother had lost her locket and thankfully she was able to provide a detailed description, including the precious photographs inside.
That woman was Merle Brett.
"That locket has been in our family a long time and belonged to my mother-in-law.
"The pictures on the inside are my mother-in-law and my father-in-law and it's a very sentimental piece of jewellery."
Merle, who lives in Thames, had been on her way to a 90th birthday in South Auckland when she stopped in at the supermarket that day and lost the locket she was wearing.
"I didn't realise it was gone until I was back home, I was so brassed off."
She contacted her daughter, who lives in Nelson, to ask if she could keep an eye out on social media just in case it was posted on a lost and found page.
"On Sunday my daughter called me and said mum, I think I've found it, she saw the image from the Police Facebook post and thought what are the chances two lockets were lost in the same place."
And just like that, Merle's locket was returned.
"It's wonderful," she says.
"I'm just so grateful to the person who found it and handed it in - thank you."
Senior Sergeant Steedman says it's a reminder that being kind costs nothing, and there are many people in the community who still chose to do the right thing.
