A Rotorua family has been left reeling after a priceless pounamu waka was stolen from a woman's grave.
Ray Watson went to visit his wife's grave on Sunday, when he discovered the original greenstone waka at the base of her headstone had disappeared.
![TAKEN: The setting from which the pounamu waka was taken.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/YXGMR2N3SVC7CZ2YIHXG5TZU4A.jpg?auth=24f8449545705cf1c8b30c19acba5a6ced45e0ecb4313843443764831e786731&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
"I was so hurt when I saw what had happened. The people who have done this have no respect for the way we've chosen to celebrate Lisa's life.
"The waka was not only a one-off artistic piece, but it also had a lot of symbolic meaning showing the journey Lisa had been through in her life. All I want is for it to be returned, as it is irreplaceable," he said.