He was dumbstruck when he realised he had all the numbers on one line.
"I couldn't believe it. I just sat staring at the screen in disbelief."
He could barely tell his wife because of his excitement.
"I was an absolute mess and just managed to stutter - 'I think we've won Lotto'. She had no idea what I was talking about.
"We just stood there in the middle of the lounge for hours, letting the win sink in ... everyone dreams about it, but actually winning is just the strangest, most wonderful feeling."
The $500,000 has been banked as they plan how to spend it.
"There are so many things we can do now. We're going to pay off the mortgage, but we're also planning on taking the kids away on a family holiday - we haven't had a break in ages, so it will be great to have some family time.
"Who knows, we might even be able to stay somewhere a bit fancy - we're Lotto winners, after all."
The Kawerau resident was one of seven lucky Lotto First Division winners this year, including a $1.5 million prize won by a Bay of Plenty player in July.
More than $19.9 million has been shared by 1.3 million MyLotto players across the country this year.
