It was a very happy birthday indeed for one man who walked away with $12.1 million from Lotto.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, bought the winning first division Powerball ticket while on holiday in Wanaka with his wife.
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"There are always a million reasons not to go, but after a bit of convincing from our friend we decided to bite the bullet and head down for a special weekend away - without the kids," he said.
"We just wanted a quiet night in to celebrate my birthday with our friends, so went to New World to pick up something special for dinner - lamb and a salad."
When he read online the winning ticket was sold at the Wanaka New World, he immediately checked his.
"When I saw that the winning ticket had been sold at the same shop we bought our ticket from, I knew I had to check it."
"He casually called out, 'Come here, I think we've won Lotto,'" his wife said. "I thought we'd maybe won $20 or so. There was nothing in his voice that hinted at just how big the prize was."
The couple plan to share the winnings with their family.
"As for what we'll do, we definitely want to help people. This win will go a lot further than our immediate family.
"We both love travelling and sports, so might treat the family to trip to Japan for the Rugby World Cup next year, or even the Olympics. It's incredible to think that these will be options for us now," the man said.
Newshub.
