An Auckland woman is welcoming in the new year with the proceeds of 2021's second-biggest Lotto win.
In a statement, Lotto NZ revealed the story behind the anonymous woman’s $17.2 million win which had been drawn at the end of December.
The woman said she waited two weeks in order to claim the prize in person at Lotto’s head office in Newmarket.
Travelling by bus, she says passengers in Auckland would have been none the wiser to the carefully guarded multi-million dollar ticket next to them.
“I was sitting on the bus saying to myself ‘keep it cool, keep it cool’ but I was looking around me thinking ‘I’m sitting here with a $17 million ticket’,”
“I was very nervous waiting to hand the ticket over.”
Lotto said the winner was looking forward to using her winnings to help her family as well as investing in her future.
She said that her mother was one of her first calls after discovering she had won, who helped provide tips on the best way she should spend as a new multi-millionaire.
"When mum picked up the phone, I burst out 'mum I've won $17 million!', and my mum said, 'that is a lot of money!' and then immediately started giving me advice on how to invest it – she knows a lot about finance and had some good ideas."
The winner said she found out about her win while alone at home.
"As I checked each number and one by one saw they matched the ones on my ticket… well, it was truly a surreal experience.
“I was at home by myself and I was so excited, but I also started crying — I felt so overwhelmed."
The winner said that they found the win to be “truly life-changing” and that they’re looking forward to “getting a good rest” following the exciting news.
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