A young Taranaki woman has opened up about the moment she realised she'd won $22.3 million from Lotto Powerball, saying she was "stunned".
She says a male family member joked that she'd won before realising she actually had - which reduced him to tears.
The Inglewood woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Lotto she was watching a movie on her laptop on Wednesday night when the family member rushed into her room.
"I grabbed my ticket off the dresser and handed it to him to check. He pulled up the results on MyLotto then glanced at the screen and said 'you're the winner'," she says, according to Lotto.
"I didn't believe him as he's a bit of a practical joker, so I replied 'Am I really?' That's when he said 'Nah - I haven't even checked the ticket yet'. He's always pulling my leg like that!
"When he turned and told me I'd won, I knew he wasn't joking this time. His face had completely changed and he even had tears in his eyes - and he never cries!
"We both stood there completely stunned and then gave each other a big hug - it was such an 'Oh my God, is this really happening to me' moment."
The young woman travelled to Auckland on Friday to claim the prize, which she says she plans to share.
"Honestly, it's been a bit of whirlwind - it definitely hasn't sunk in yet," the woman said.
"I'm just going to take my time to let everything settle. I've got my whole life ahead of me and this is a wonderful opportunity.
"The main thing that's been on my mind is who I am going to help with this win, how many lives I can change - especially my family. Everything else has been secondary. I can't wait to share this win around."
The winning ticket was sold at Inglewood Bookcentre and was made up of $22 million from Powerball first division and $333,333 from Lotto first division.
Newshub.
