A family has been left reeling after their Auckland home was raided by thieves just weeks after they moved to New Zealand from the United Kingdom.
The family had their laptops, phones and valuables they did not want to risk shipping, taken during the burglary in the North Shore suburb of Hauraki on November 10.
Among the stolen items was Mel Juer's 100-year-old antique diamond ring given to her by her mother-in-law on her wedding day.
"It has been in my husband's family for five generations.
"It is my wedding ring and also my mother-in-law passed away a year ago which makes it even more meaningful to us," Juer said.
"The ring represents my marriage, the birth of my children and 17 years of marriage."
In addition to its sentimental value, the ring is also worth a lot of money, boasting three antique diamonds set on a gold band.
"We suspect that the thief probably doesn't even realise the value and may well try to sell it on the second-hand market," she said.
Juer fears the ring could be sold to a pawn shop for quick cash by which time it would be near impossible to trace.
The burglary happened when the family was kayaking at Takapuna Beach.
"We locked the door and closed the windows and thought it was safe enough,'' she said.
They returned to find the door ajar and their valuables gone.
The family does not have insurance because they were waiting for a container load of their belongings to arrive before they took out a policy.
"We are therefore camping in our new home while we wait for our furniture to arrive.
"We thought no-one would rob an empty house but we were so wrong," she said.
The family has complained to police and a substantial reward is being offered for the return of the ring.
Juer is urging anyone with information that may lead to the ring to please contact her on 022 351 9464.
