Samantha the runaway turtle home at last

BACK AMONG BUDDIES: Lost turtle Samantha (centre) is reunited with her turtle friends Doris (front) and Squirt.

Samantha the turtle, who was found crossing Kuratawhiti St in Greytown on Monday, has been reunited with her family after a five-week walkabout.

Samantha's owner Cheryl, who did not want her surname used, said she was pleased to have her pet back, as were her two other turtles - Doris and Squirt.

"They were all pleased to see each other, it was cute."

She said this had not been the first time Samantha had wandered off but she usually did not get very far before being found again.

"I didn't know if I'd see her again."

Cheryl said she had been worried about Samantha and was relieved when she learned on Monday night that her turtle had been found and was safe at Greytown's Vetcare.

She had received a phone call from a friend who knew someone who worked with builder Sid Tayor, who had found the turtle.

Mr Taylor had seen the turtle crossing the road while driving down the street on his lunch break.

He had picked up the turtle and taken it "back to the yard and had lunch with it", before dropping it to Greytown Vetcare, where "it was in better hands".

Cheryl picked Samantha up from Vetcare first thing on Tuesday morning and said that in fact she knew Mr Taylor well, and had called to thank him.

She said she had put the turtles outside in the sunshine on the day Samantha had disappeared, inside a large plastic container.

She had "stupidly" tilted the bin so the turtles could climb on top of each other, which was how Samantha had escaped, she said.

"I don't know where she's been hiding but she has been through some terrible weather."

The turtles did not have a proper outdoor tank or pond just now because of major renovations happening around the property.

"It's actually really nice to have a happy ending," Cheryl said.