It may not be the $19.1 million that two lucky players each banked earlier this month, but one Auckland couple surely won't be complaining after winning $1 million in last Wednesday's Lotto draw.
The couple from south Auckland, who wish to remain anonymous, were on the final leg of a campervan road trip when they were feeling lucky, they told Lotto NZ.
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Deciding to capitalise on that lucky feeling, the couple decided to pick a place on the map and grab a ticket for the draw - which took them to the Hamilton suburb of Gordonton.
"We decided Gordonton had a lucky ring to it, so we made a beeline there," the woman said.
"Even though we passed several other Lotto stores on the way to Gordonton, we held out – we'd had a bit of luck on our previous ticket and won around $70, so decided to hold out for where we were feeling lucky."
The woman was feeling so lucky, in fact, she says she even jokingly thanked the shopkeeper at Gordonton Superette in Hamilton for selling her the winning ticket.
The couple checked their numbers in their campervan after dinner, and were delighted to find they had won first-division in the regular draw.
"We were parked up by the beach at the time and it took everything in me not to burst outside and scream 'we’ve won Lotto!' – I was so excited, I could have woken up the whole campsite, no problem," the woman said.
The couple say they will use the money to pay off their mortgage and to set themselves up for the future.
Lotto's Powerball jackpot hit a staggering $38 million earlier this month. That prize, the second-highest ever won in New Zealand, was shared by two winners who each got $19.1 million.
The highest-ever jackpot was won in 2016, when a couple from Hibiscus Coast won $44 million.
There is $8 million up for grabs in Saturday's Powerball jackpot.
Newshub
