Mike King’s stolen electric bike found by Tauranga local, Good Samaritan refuses reward

• Mike King’s custom electric bike has been returned by a local hero who confronted the alleged thief.
• King thanked the community and local law enforcement for helping recover his bike in Tauranga.
• King is travelling the country on his bike to raise awareness for youth climate anxiety.

The Good Samaritan who found mental health campaigner Mike King’s custom e-bike has refused to accept the reward posted for its return.

The local hero confronted the alleged thief before returning the bike to its owner.

In an expletive-laden video posted to social media yesterday, the entertainer said the bike was stolen by “some f***face” outside the Number One Shoes store in Baycourt, Tauranga while he was getting a haircut nearby.

King said there was a $500 reward for the bike’s safe return.

In a new video titled “Good news”, King said the bike was back in his possession.

“So with the power of social media, with the power of the local community, and of course with the power of the local law enforcement agency, we got the bike back.”

King explained that a Tauranga local saw the bike and confronted the person with it.

“[They said] ‘That’s my nephew’s bike, and you are going to give that bike back, she took it back to her place and we got it there’.”

Mike King poses with the police following the return of his custom electric bike.

King’s spokesperson contacted the woman who found his bike asking for bank account details so the reward could be deposited.

But the woman texted back: “No reward needed. Glad I could help.”

King thanked everyone for the “kind messages” and apologised for his “foul language” in his previous post.

“But to be fair, I was pretty p*ssed off.”

Yesterday, King said it was “unf***ing believable”.

“As you can tell, I’m p***ed. How the f**k can these fleas get away with this s**t?

“Thieving pricks is all they are. I’d love to get ahold of them and f**king deal to them.”

Towards the end of the video, he said he would give the $500 reward out of his own pocket to anyone who came forward with the address of the thief.

He did not say in the newest video that the reward had been handed to the bike’s finder.

King has been undertaking a nationwide “I Am Climate Hope” tour.

A spokesperson for I Am Climate Hope said King was “in pain and exhausted” from his journey, and is now without the UBCO bike he has relied on to reach communities across New Zealand.

With increasing numbers of young people expressing mental health struggles tied to the impacts of climate change, King has dedicated this journey to providing support, hope and practical solutions, the spokesperson said.

Launched on October 1, the tour has seen King travel more than 4850km to engage with communities and address rising youth climate anxiety.

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