A lucky Invercargill couple were left "stunned mullets" after winning $17.25 million in Wednesday night's Lotto Powerball draw.
The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, told Lotto NZ they are, "still shocked. It's turned our world upside down!"
The woman left it late to buy a ticket, only grabbing it on the morning of the draw on MyLotto.
She outlined what happened when checking the ticket after the draw.
"I logged in and checked my ticket, not thinking about it. But when I saw my numbers line up, followed by the words 'Major Prize Winner', I immediately showed my husband.
"I didn't even really see how much it was, but he stared at the screen, looked at me, and said, 'do you know how much that is?'
"I was completely oblivious. I thought it said $17,000. When he told me it was $17 million, I just said, 'oh my gosh.'"
Her partner thought she was playing a prank on him.
"I kept asking her, 'is this a joke? You're joking, right?'"
Once it sunk in that it was indeed not a joke, the couple said they sat like "stunned mullets" before "bursting into laughter".
"The win is going to help our family so much," the woman said.
"After everything calms down a bit, we'd like to celebrate somewhere nice with the kids, but we plan to keep working and living life like normal.
"We honestly never thought this would happen. It's amazing!"
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