"Nothing will come close to this level of honesty."
These are the words of police who thanked a couple after returning $70,592.60 which they found on the side of a road in Hawke's Bay.
The couple had reportedly "just picked their son up from daycare" when they made the discovery.
"They stopped, and upon examination of the bag, noted it was electronically locked and belonged to a bank," said police.
Inspector Chris Wallace said the actions of the couple were a "true test" of honesty.
"As the great British writer C.S. Lewis said, 'integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.' It is fair to say this couple certainly did that, and more.
"One of our long-serving colleagues noted he'd never heard of such a story in the 40 years he's been based in Hastings."
As a result of the find, the bank and security company were notified.
"The cash bag was collected within minutes and made its way to the intended destination," said police.
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