A Papamoa woman was trying to replace a broken washing machine when her husband called and told her not to bother; they had just won half a million dollars in Lotto.
The couple, who don't want to be identified, said they play Lotto every draw and love checking to see whether their lucky numbers have popped up. Usually they check their tickets together every Sunday morning.
However, when the washing machine broke, the wife went searching for a replacement while the husband checked their ticket, discovering their $500,000 windfall. He called his wife to tell her he had it 'sorted'.
''I rushed home thinking something might be wrong, but was pleasantly surprised when he told me we had won $500,000. I couldn't believe it!'' the wife said.
''The first thing I said was 'Are you kidding?' I was in shock, it just didn't seem real. We truly can't believe our luck, we're both just so excited!''
