Just weeks ago, a Christchurch couple who won one of the largest Lotto draws in recent history kept their ticket hidden in the sock drawer for days while they worked out what they would do with their winnings.
The couple, who wished to remain anonymous, said they were overwhelmed by the magnitude of the win and needed time to process it before coming forward.
The mouthwatering $33.5m dollar win was eventually claimed after the numbers were announced on June 28.
The woman said she had been busy doing chores on the night of the draw, and so it wasn’t until quite late that she decided to check her ticket.
“I had been busy doing a few things, and then I thought I may as well check my ticket before I went to bed.
“I looked the numbers up online and started checking each line of the ticket.
“The winning line was right at the bottom, and the numbers just sort of jumped out at me – all of them,” she said.
“I couldn’t breathe at first – I was almost hyperventilating.”
The woman said her husband had already gone to bed and she had to wake him up to confirm the prize.
“My husband had already gone to bed so I woke him up and said, ‘Can you please check this for me? These numbers are dancing on the paper. Is it actually real?’”
After her husband confirmed the jackpot was real, the couple said it was hard to go back to sleep afterwards.
The couple said they were in no rush to claim their prize the next day – or even the next week.
“We wanted to keep things normal while we thought about our next steps.”
But with such a life-changing event, sleep was hard to come by, they said.
“I’d keep things cool during the day but then come home and cry – tears of happiness, of course, but it was also a lot to take in,” the woman said.
The couple said they had kept their yellow ticket hidden in a sock drawer.
It was “nerve-wracking” to know they had over $33 million sitting there, they said.
Earlier this year a lucky player won $15.5m in a ‘Must Be Won’ draw, from which half the value of ticket sales will some living in regions devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle.
The winning ticket was purchased by a MyLotto player from Canterbury.
“We’d like to thank New Zealanders for getting behind this special draw for cyclone relief. The support has been incredible and will make a real difference to people and communities impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle,” Lotto NZ chief executive Chris Lyman said at the time.
“It has been a privilege for Lotto NZ to host this special draw, and our thoughts remain with those affected by the cyclone.”
The draw eventually raised $11.7m to go towards impact communities.
And a Whakatāne resident spoke just weeks earlier about the rollercoaster ride they had had since winning $1 million in Lotto First Division.
The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, said they weren’t entirely sure how much they had won until getting a call from Lotto NZ.
“I said to them ‘oh, my goodness, is it really $1 million’?
“I thought it was, but I was waiting for confirmation before I got too excited.
The winner added: “It will make such a difference to my life. It gives me the financial freedom to pay off my mortgage.”
They were looking forward to celebrating their life-changing win by going out for dinner with family.
