The lucky winners of Wednesday's gigantic $38 million Powerball have come forward.
The two Auckland winners each pocketed $19,142,857.
A Lotto spokesperson said both winners claimed their prizes on Friday afternoon.
One was from central Auckland and the other from South Auckland.
The South Auckland winners, a married couple, said they bought their ticket with minutes to spare on Friday night.
"My husband turned to me at 7.22pm and said, 'we didn't get a Lotto ticket! You better race down to the dairy and get one," said the winner.
They said there wasn't time to head to the dairy, so they bought the ticket online instead.
But the couple didn't realise they won until the following day.
"When I logged in and saw all six numbers and the Powerball on one line… well, I was sure that I had made a mistake!"
The other winner, a mother from central Auckland, said she plays the same numbers every week.
"As I read out the winning numbers I heard Mum say 'yes, yes, yes…' they just kept coming. I couldn't believe it! We both started screaming and raced to find my brother to double check what we were seeing," said the winner's daughter.
Both winners are treating themselves and their families to a holiday.
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The $38 million prize was the second-highest ever won in New Zealand.
The highest ever prize was won in 2016 when a couple of the Hibiscus Coast won a staggering $44 million.
According to Lotto NZ's senior corporate communications manager, Kristen Robinson, 2019 has been a good year for it.
"This year is shaping up to be a lucky one for Powerball players, with 14 Kiwis winning big with Powerball so far this year. We're looking forward to celebrating with New Zealand's newest multi-millionaires - the champagne is on ice!" she said.
Newshub.
