An Auckland man who won Lotto this week woke his sleeping son up with a shout of "we've won!" after discovering he'd won $6.3 million in Wednesday night's Lotto draw.
The man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, bought his ticket at Countdown Hobsonville in Auckland. He bagged $6 million from Powerball First Division and $333,333 from Lotto First Division.
He said he knew as soon as he checked the numbers that he'd won, as he plays the same 'special birthday numbers' each draw.
He'd actually been enjoying a quiet Wednesday evening in before discovering he was a multi-millionaire, having fallen asleep on the couch after dinner.
When he woke he thought he'd better check the Lotto numbers before he went to bed - and was glad he did.
"I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the numbers online. I knew straight away they were mine because they are special birthday numbers," he said.
It took him a few moments to take in the enormity of what had just happened - but when it finally sunk in, he knew he had to tell his son straight away.
"I think I was in shock - I probably still am. I kept checking the ticket over and over to make sure I had bought it for the right day!" he said.
"My son was asleep - but not for long after I burst into his room and shouted 'we've won!' at him."
The man then shared the news with the rest of his family - but was worried he'd lose the ticket before he was able to claim his prize at Lotto NZ's head office the following day.
"I didn't know where to keep it safe' til the morning, so I tried a few hiding places around the house and ended up stashing it in the cupboard. I kept going back to check it was still there," he explained.
While the man doesn't yet have any concrete plans for what he'll do with his winnings, he's looking forward to celebrating with his family and planning for his future.
"I want to treat them to dinner and drinks on the town - I can't wait to celebrate with them all, it's going to be brilliant!"
He's also looking to buy a house with his prize - "nothing flash!" - and wants to help out his family, which he says is "really important" to him.
"It's going to make our lives that bit easier," he said.
The man wasn't the only Kiwi to win big on Wednesday night, with two other players - one from Auckland and the other from Palmerston North - bagging $333,333 with Lotto First Division.
A Wellington Strike player also took home $200,000 with Strike Four.
Wednesday night's win came 11 days after a lucky Hamilton couple scored themselves $9 million with Powerball First Division.
