And it is up to Dunedin’s schoolchildren to find them.
Ramone, Simone and eight other pesky gnomes were at large in Glenfalloch Gardens over the weekend, as part of its Gnaughty Gnome Hunt.
With the help of a map, children were tasked with finding the 10 garden gnomes hidden around the 12ha historic gardens and writing down their secret names.
The prize for tracking down all 10: a chocolate fish.
Glenfalloch Gardens restaurant manager Laura Foley said the naughty gnomes were "very good" at hiding.
"They’re very sneaky — some are very hard to find.
"Some actually say that the gnomes move at night-time by themselves — that’s why they’ve become really hard to find."
Mrs Foley recommended gnome-hunters start their search with gnome No 1 and work their way to 10, and to look up from the tracks.
Gnome No 9 had proven particularly tricky to find, she said.
Over 500 people had ventured out in search of the gnomes, which was "incredible".
She hoped children would come away from the school holidays activity with fond memories of Glenfalloch, she said.
The gnome hunt had been running for years and was a fun activity to bring families into the gardens.
"It’s just so great to hear the laughs through the gardens, all of the giggles and the yelling."
