Sleepless night for Whangārei woman after $700,000 Lotto Strike win

A sleepless night was in store for a Whangārei woman who won $700,000 on Lotto Strike.

The woman struck it lucky after winning $700,000 with Strike Four in last week's Must Be Won draw.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, was going about a normal day at work when a friend mentioned that Strike had to be won that night.

"My friend and I were having a chat when she mentioned that Strike had to be won that evening," said the winner.

"I don't really play Strike on its own, but I decided to hop on MyLotto and buy a ticket because of the Must Be Won that night – after all, you never know."

It wasn't until later that evening that the winner discovered just how lucky that decision would be.

"I'd been out with friends that night and as I was getting ready for bed, I had this gut feeling telling me to check my ticket."

"I don't normally check my tickets until the next day, but I thought I ought to trust my gut and check it just in case. So I jumped in bed and checked my ticket on the Lotto NZ App – I couldn't believe my eyes when all four winning numbers appeared in a row on the second line," the woman said.

"I handed my husband my phone and said that I was a winner – he thought I was joking. After a bit of a celebration, he kept telling me to go to sleep but I couldn't; it was all just too exciting. I don't think I slept a wink that night."

With the winnings now safely in her bank account, the woman is taking some time to decide what to do with the windfall.

"My husband and I are going to go out for a nice dinner to celebrate properly, but then we'll give it a good couple of weeks to let it really set in before we decide what to do," she said.

"Who knows – we might take the family on a few holidays and use the winnings to make the trips that much more special. One thing's for sure, I wouldn't have even bought a Strike ticket if it wasn't for my friend – I owe her one, for sure."

The winning ticket was purchased on MyLotto for the Strike Must Be Won draw on July 4.