A Masterton man ran through his house in his underwear after finding out he'd won $5.08 million in last Saturday's Lotto draw.
Three tickets split Saturday's $15 million Powerball jackpot, each pocketing $5.08 million.
Two winners have come forward to claim their prize, while a third was yet to do so.
One of the winners, a Masterton man who bought his ticket online, discovered he won just as he was waking up on Sunday morning.
“I logged in at about 6.30am to check my ticket, still in bed and half-asleep,” he said.
“Next thing I know, I’m running through the house in my underwear yelling, ‘Oh my god, Dad! Dad!’”
His dad was startled awake and took a minute to realise what had happened.
“He was asleep and wondered what on earth was going on.
“After I woke him up screaming, he understandably thought something terrible had happened until I turned my phone around and showed him the screen.
“I was shaking so much, I didn’t know what to do. Honestly, I think I’m still in shock,” he said.
With time to mull it over, the man said he had no firm plans on what to do with the money.
“I just want to sit on it for a while before I make any decisions. It was so unexpected… things like this don’t happen to people like me. It’s life-changing money, and I want to make sure I make the most of it,” he said.
The other winner, a grandfather from the Wellington region, said he had bought his ticket as part of a regular weekend routine: Driving to the beach for a walk before buying a ticket from Coastlands Lotto in Paraparaumu.
“It’s just my little ritual,” he said. “I love to be by the sea, so I grab a coffee and have a stroll on the beach, and before I go home, I buy my tickets for the week ahead.”
He discovered he'd won later that evening.
“I looked at the results online, and when I matched the numbers on my ticket, I thought I must have done something wrong. I looked back and forth at the ticket and the screen a good few times,” he said.
“When I saw that it was split between three people, I thought that was wonderful too – it’s a great amount of money for three families to share in.”
He still hasn't told his family about his newfound fortune.
“I’ll wait until it’s in my bank account first and let myself process the news a bit more before I tell anyone, but I am looking forward to telling my children.
“This win means I can help them, and my grandchildren – it feels great to know I can give them a bit of a boost as they start their lives,” he said.
Still a third winner out there
The jackpot's third winner, who has a ticket bought from New World Greymouth, was still out there, Lotto head of corporate communications Will Hine said.
“If you picked up a ticket at New World Greymouth for Saturday’s draw, you could be our ‘lucky last’ winner.
“If so, please get in touch so we can guide you through the claims process or present your ticket at any Lotto outlet,” he said.
Also on the West Coast, the winner of a $500,000 ticket bought in Westport in November has not yet come forward.
"This is a great reminder to dig out any old tickets and check them. You never know what you might find,” Hine said.
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