Unichem Stortford Lodge Pharmacy in Hastings has cemented its title as New Zealand's "luckiest" Lotto store by selling its 41st First Division winning ticket last weekend.
The lucky Lotto player, who wishes to remain anonymous, won $333,333 with Lotto First Division after splitting the $1 million prize with two other players from Auckland and Dunedin.
The store's reputation as the "luckiest" store in the country was the main reason why the winner went out of her way to buy a ticket.
"I was visiting a friend over the weekend and I thought I better pop in while I'm in the area and grab a ticket, you just never know," she said.
It wasn't until she checked her ticket the next day over lunch that she realised just how lucky that decision had been.
"At first I saw that I had three numbers, then four numbers, and then all of sudden I had all six numbers. I just couldn't believe my eyes!"
After the checking the ticket "what felt like a hundred times", the winner and her husband drove back to the store to claim their prize.
Nanette Woodham, the Lotto manager who has worked at Unichem Stortford Lodge for 22 years, was pleased to meet the winners in person and share in their excitement.
"We have sold many winning tickets at this store, but we don't often get to meet the winners face to face. The latest winners were just lovely, they were grinning from ear to ear when they handed over the ticket."
"The store has become a bit of a tourist destination. People come from all over, especially to buy their ticket here - everyone wants to buy their ticket from the 'luckiest' Lotto store in the country," she said.
Still coming to terms with their win, the winning couple now plan to use the money to buy a new house.
"We have dreamt of buying a new home for years - and now we can. It's a pretty amazing feeling when you can turn your dreams into reality."