A Kiwi woman has been reunited with her lost phone after an international manhunt sparked by a Reddit user.

A Canadian man found the lost phone in San Francisco and posted a picture of the lock screen, which featured a couple, on Reddit.

Users realised the phone's timezone was based in New Zealand and once news of the worldwide search arrived here, someone recognised the couple.

The owner of the phone, flight attendant Leah Nevill, is originally from Cromwell in Otago.

She says she lost her phone after it fell out of her pocket while she was out for a run.

Ms Nevill was stunned by the global manhunt, having thought she would never see her phone again.

"It's totally crazy, and I'm just absolutely delighted that there are wonderful people out there in the world that have gone to the effort and found me," she says.

Ms Nevill says her phone is being sent to a hotel in San Francisco, where she'll pick it up next week.

Newshub.