Tauranga man wins $1m Lotto prize: 'We were jumping around, hugging and crying'

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A Tauranga man is still coming to terms with winning $1 million with Lotto first division.

The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, has been a regular Lotto player for the past six months and bought his ticket on MyLotto on the day of the draw last Wednesday.

He eagerly awaited the outcome of the draw on Wednesday so he could check his numbers on the Lotto NZ app.

When they were published, he sat in disbelief as the six numbers matched and he was confirmed as a major prize winner.

"I couldn't believe it," he said. "To see all of the numbers line up like that. It was a good feeling and I was just so happy."

The man ran to another room in a state of excitement and yelled to his wife, "We have won Lotto, we have won Lotto.

"She didn't believe me at first because we never win anything but then she looked at my phone and saw that we had won $1 million. We were jumping around, hugging and crying ... it was a lovely feeling."

The couple had been impacted by the Covid-19 lockdown and said the $1 million windfall would ease the impact.

"It's been a challenging time for us, like a lot of other people. This win will help get us back on our feet. It's a huge moment for us."

The couple plan to buy their first home in the next two years and the man wants to start his own business. He also wants to get back into his favourite hobby, cooking.

The ticket was sold on MyLotto for the Lotto draw on Wednesday, April 1.

- Supplied copy