Thieves take grandkids' 'fairy garden'

GUTTED: Terry and Roz Cooke are gutted their fairy garden has been taken from their front yard in Katikati. PHOTO/RUTH KEBER

A Katikati couple are devastated after thieves took their "fairy garden" in Levley Estate.

On Wednesday morning, Terry and Roz Cooke noticed 15 different objects from their garden had been taken including solar lights, garden ornaments and a fairy bridge.

The collection of garden objects was worth about $400 but had a great sentimental value.

They created the garden for their two granddaughters, who visit from Australia, when they first moved to the property about 18 months ago. It included gnomes, terracotta snails and a fairy bridge.

"It's annoying, it really annoys me," Mr Cooke told the Bay of Plenty Times from the yard where his ornaments were stolen.

Initially they did not realise how much had been stolen, he said.

"The more I looked, the more I saw we lost. They just took the lot. It was a total wipeout of everything. Everything that could be moved, right up to the shed - they did the whole area. If they came any further the security lights would have gone on. For what reason, I don't know.

"We don't think they could have done it at night-time but I don't know how they could have done it in the day without someone seeing."

Objects which were left in the garden were too heavy to be carried, he said. Mrs Cooke said all the garden pieces had been collected over time.

"We have little memories, some of it came from Mum and she's gone now. It's a bit sick. If it was one or two things, you would think it was kids. But it was everything."

Mrs Cooke thinks the thieves would have scouted out the garden days before the pieces were taken yet none of the neighbours in the area have had issues with things being taken from their properties, she said.

The Cookes would not be putting ornaments out in their garden for the next few months, she said.