Newest millionaire keeps low profile

Dargaville Countdown manager Snow Tane doesn't know who bought the weekend's winning Lotto ticket at the store. Photo/Michael Cunningham

If anyone the Advocate spoke to in Dargaville knows who the town's newest millionaire is they're not telling.

It's possible the winner doesn't even know, because the weekend's big Lotto prize hasn't been claimed yet.

Certainly, there's not much buzz on the quiet streets yesterday, after a ticket bought at Dargaville's Countdown supermarket won the $1 million first division prize on Saturday.

"All I know is that it wasn't me," a few people say ruefully when we go looking for the mystery punter.

Countdown manager Snow Tane is thrilled his store sold the ticket. It's the second first division sold there under his watch, the last one a couple of years ago.

"I don't know who it was and I won't find out unless they come in and tell me," Mr Tane said of the latest win.

"I just hope it was one of our locals and not a 'drive through'."

At real estate company First National Roper and Jones, dozens of photos of properties cover the corner-site's wall to wall windows.

We ask co-owner John Powell to show us a million dollar house that Saturday's win might secure. Actually, he probably doesn't have one on the books right now, he says.

"But the average house price in Dargaville is about $200,000, so you could buy five for the same money."

Lotto New Zealand confirms the prize hasn't yet been claimed. For all they know, the only big Lotto winner on Saturday might still be blissfully unaware of their good fortune - or just lying low.

If you're out there, you had the numbers 4, 8, 11, 20, 39, 40, with the bonus number 9.

Spokeswoman Kirsten Robinson said Lotto did not want to speculate where the winning ticket is, but some Lotto players have weekly buying habits and often check their ticket as they buy another ticket in the next week's draw.