Lotto Powerball $50 million: Tauranga winner thought they had won $5000, not $5 million

19 Aug, 2020 03:29 AM2 minutes to read

Consumer affairs reporter, NZ Herald

A Tauranga couple who won $5 million after Lotto Powerball's $50m draw was split between 10 winners celebrated with a glass of wine.

The pair didn't realise they hit the jackpot until Sunday night when the man decided to check his ticket after an email from Lotto NZ.

Initially, he thought the prize would be for a mere $1000, however, he says he was "absolutely blown away" after the draw played out on his screen.

He showed his phone to his wife and told her hadn't only bagged a grand.

"I thought it was $5,000 and was stoked with that then he said to me, 'no, look again,'" the woman said.

"I started laughing, and then crying at the same time, I couldn't believe it – it was very emotional.

"We spent the rest of the night pinching each other and checking the ticket to make sure it wasn't a joke."

The couple, who didn't want to be named, was as excited with their win as they were that the $50m jackpot was shared by a number of others.

On Sunday night, after learning of their win, they celebrated with a wine and described the remainder of their night as surreal.

"I thought it would feel more real when the money hit our bank account, but it still doesn't," the man said.

The next day, the pair headed to the beach for lunch where they planned to decide how they would spend their earnings.

"We're going to buy a bach, a boat and a campervan. That's always been the dream," said the man.

"We've always wanted a campervan to travel around the country in, and this win gives us that opportunity, we can't wait," the woman said.

The couple will share the news with their close family soon.