By 1news.co.nz
A normal Sunday morning with family turned into the shock of a lifetime for one Auckland woman, when she discovered her Lotto ticket had won her $4.3 million.
The woman bought her regular Powerball ticket online ahead of Saturday’s draw, never imagining in her “wildest dreams” that she would win.
“Usually when I buy tickets online, I don’t check them for weeks,” the woman said. “But that morning, as soon as I woke up, I decided to read the news and check MyLotto in bed.
“I logged in and checked my ticket and noticed all the numbers line up. But to be honest, I thought it said ‘$4,000’, not four million!” the woman said.
By then, the woman’s great-niece had wandered in for a chat, and so the woman put the win out of her mind.
“I had some family staying over and my great-niece wanted to look at photos from the day before on my computer, so that’s what we did.
“We’d also promised we’d take the kids to the park, so we headed out once everyone was up. While we were at the park, I asked my niece to double-check my ticket,” she said.
It was then that the woman realised her mistake, with her niece confirming she had won the big prize.
“I couldn’t believe it was actually four million! I said, ‘Are you sure?’”
“And my niece was so lovely. She said, ‘You’re the best person to win it – you deserve it,’” the woman said.
The win comes at a ‘’fantastic time” for the woman, who is about to retire.
“The last few years have been pretty hairy, so the win gives me more financial certainty. I will definitely be sharing it with my family and also donating to charity.
“I’m looking forward to paying off my mortgage and renovating my bathroom. And I have some charities that are special to me that I’d like to support. ”
After an action-packed weekend, the woman celebrated her win over “a couple of glasses of bubbles” with her family on Sunday evening.
“I feel so blessed,” the woman said.
