LOST AND FOUND: Ramari Paul with some of the lost property at Rotorua police station. PHOTO/BEN FRASER 130515bf9
Soft toys, bikes, a crowbar, guitar, chilly bin and water blaster.
Just some of the hundreds of items in the Rotorua Police Station's lost property storage locker.
Every day an array of items are handed in to police, ranging from found keys and cellphones through to flatscreen televisions and a kayak.
If you have lost something, no matter how obscure, Ramari Paul wants you to get in touch.
"People should never be scared to ring up and ask, especially for the more obscure things," said the property and exhibits officer.
"We hold items for three months and if we haven't had it claimed or been able to track down the owner ourselves then we will either return the item to the finder, destroy it or send it to a police auction."
Cellphones were never returned to the finder, Miss Paul said, but they weren't always reunited with their owners either.
"A lot of people come in wanting the phones back [that they have found] but it's too risky. There are a lot of personal photos on the phones and it's sad we can't return them."
Miss Paul said people should record their phone's IMEI number, found underneath the battery, in case it was lost.
She said she could not always get into a phone's contacts list to try to find who it belongs to, but if someone were to contact police with the IMEI number they would get it back.
"The number of phones that don't get returned because of that is huge."
Miss Paul said she fell into the job in February last year, and she loved it.
"It's a very busy role and I never know what to expect. I'm never bored. It's a good feeling to know you have given something back, especially when I've had to do some detective work to find them.
"It's a fascinating role."
Items that get sent to auction include jewellery and near new clothing. There's no date for the next auction and the money raised goes to the Crown.
"We've an outboard motor that will go to auction if it's not claimed."
Strangest item: Drone, crowbar, sandwich toaster
Most money: $1500
Worst item: Rotten meat (in a suitcase)
Number of bikes: 6
'I was high-sided into the air and landed on the cheese-cutters.'