Police have arrested a man for stealing a 300-year-old bell from a King Country church.
The 75kg bronze Pembroke Bell disappeared from St Bride's Anglican Church in Otorohanga last week. It was found in a scrap-metal yard in Auckland, after the dealer heard about the bell and contacted police.
Police arrested a 29-year-old unemployed man in Te Kuiti on Tuesday. He later appeared in the Hamilton District Court and was remanded in custody until July.
The man faces several charges, including seven counts of burglary, one charge of theft, two driving charges and a drug charge.