The Hibiscus Coast pair, who have opted to remain anonymous, were unaware that they were the winners of such a gigantic prize until the husband checked their numbers whilst at work. The unsuspecting jackpot winner had headed outside for a cigarette when he discovered the startling news: "As soon as I saw I had all the numbers on one line I just yelled...my boss thought I'd chopped my arm off with a saw," he told New Zealand lottery officials.
In a state of disbelief, the lucky lottery fan dived into his car and set a course for the nearest Lotto store in Manly to confirm that his ticket was as valuable as he thought. In between trying to frantically contact his wife, the man happened to hear something that further enhanced his elation: "As I was driving to the store, they were talking about the big win on the radio and I started screaming out 'that's me',” he smiled.
Not wanting to wait longer than was necessary, the couple headed to Lotto NZ headquarters the following afternoon to claim their prize. The wife spoke of her husband’s continuing inability to process the news: "As we sat in the winners' room, he kept turning to me and saying 'Am I in a dream?' and I kept turning to him and saying 'is this real? I just wish I could have seen his face when he found out we'd won."
The win comes as a great relief to the couple, as they and their young children had been struggling to move house for sometime before their lucky dip ticket win: "We've been busting our guts trying to buy our first home," said the husband. But there will be no snap decisions following their recent windfall, as the couple claim they want to manage their money sensibly: "All we know at the moment is that we're going to give the kids a really great Christmas this year,” the winners beamed.
