Kaikōura local claims $8.2 million Lotto Powerball win

The man says he knows life is about to change but is determined to keep his feet on the ground. Photo / File

A Kaikōura man is in utter disbelief after a $8.2 million Lotto Powerball win.

The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, was heading to work on Thursday morning when he received a text message from his partner.

"Did you win Lotto last night? Someone in Kaikōura did!" the message said.

He immediately grabbed his wallet to get his ticket out and check it with Lotto's app.

Sure enough, he was New Zealand's newest multi-millionaire.

"I was in utter disbelief, it's definitely not the sort of luck you expect!"

The man then checked his ticket manually by circling off each winning number one by one.

"They were all there, so I quickly scribbled my name on the back of the ticket, took a photo of it and stashed it back in my wallet.

"I texted my partner back telling her 'yep ... it was us!'"

He took the rest of the day off work and picked up his partner to head into a store to claim the prize.

"One thing's for sure, I definitely knew my wallet was there on that journey, it somehow felt a bit heavier," he said.

He told the Lotto operator he had a winning ticket before handing it over.

"It's probably the biggest winner you've put through the machine in a while," he told them.

The man and his partner then decided to go out for lunch and call family to let them know about the win.

"We're still in disbelief, to be honest. We know life is going to change, but we are determined to keep our feet on the ground and put this money to good use,"

The couple plan to invest for their family's future, do some home renovations and travel overseas.