When Kevin Jenkins' wedding ring slipped off his finger, hit the footpath, then rolled into a drain on Tutanekai St, his first thoughts were how he was going to tell his wife Ann.
The heart-stopping moment happened on Wednesday.
"I put my hand in my pocket to get my keys out and it fell off and rolled into the grate," he said.
"Losing a ring is never a good thing, especially losing a wedding ring. I've had it for 15 years."
All was forgiven yesterday afternoon, when Fulton Hogan workers managed to fish the gold band ring out of the drain and return it to a relieved Mr Jenkins.