New Zealand police are looking for the rightful homes of around 30 gnomes allegedly stolen alongside a cache of other colourful garden ornaments over the past six months.

The haul was recovered when a search warrant was executed this month at a property in the North Island town of Masterton, with items believed to have come from gardens across the wider Wairarapa region.

“We’ve asked the gnomes where they reside, but so far, they’ve remained stone-faced,” Sergeant Nick Bunny said in a statement.

“We’d really like people to check their gardens and outdoor areas, and if they are missing anything, they should pop into the station with their identification, and we’ll work with them to identify items.

“We’re hoping the public can help us get them gnome sweet gnome.”

The around 200 recovered items – currently being stored at Masterton Police Station – also included bird baths, outdoor furniture, a gazebo, trollies, windmills, solar lights, children’s wheelbarrows, metal birds, pot plants, statues, sculptures, a concrete giraffe and buddha statues.

Around 200 garden ornaments have been recovered. Photo: NZ Police

Around 20 people have so far retrieved their ornaments, according to New Zealand media outlet 1News, which interviewed an elderly couple who were thrilled to be reunited with a concrete turtle that has been in their family for 60 years.

“I opened the door one morning – gone!” the woman said of its disappearance.

Asked how she felt about the theft, she added: “Gutted – like your heart being ripped out.”

Bunny said the search warrant was executed after a “huge increase” in the number of garden ornament thefts in the region, but  admitted police were surprised by the size of the haul.

“I think we all had a bit of a laugh with ourselves when we first saw it because I don’t think any of us expected it to be as big as it was,” he told 1News.