An Auckland couple are buzzing with excitement and disbelief after winning Lotto's $6.3 million Powerball at the weekend.
While Kiwis across the motu eagerly watched the Rugby World Cup final on Sunday, the couple who have not been named, were glued to a different screen reading '$6,333,333'.
The couple won $6.3 million thanks to a Pick Your Own ticket.
The man said his wife was out of the house when he received an email from Lotto New Zealand which said he was a "Major Prize Winner".
"So, I checked MyLotto," the man said.
The man scrolled down to the bottom of the ticket where he saw the winning line and admits even then he didn't know much he'd won.
"I scrolled back up to see '$6,333,333', and that’s when it hit me – I'd won the big one!"
Once the man's wife returned home, she was met with him at the door showing his phone and yelling "look at this! What does this mean?"
"Shocked. I couldn't believe it! It was a surreal feeling - and not something I ever would have expected to happen," the wife said.
After the couple claimed their prize, they phoned their close friends and family to share the life-changing news.
"The best thing was that everyone was so happy for us. They said it couldn't have happened to better people," the wife said.
The couple celebrated their big Lotto win with a bottle of champagne and said they stayed up late into the night thinking about everything they could do.
"Whenever I was on the cusp of sleep, he'd nudge me and say, 'What if we did this?'" the wife said.
Days later the couple are still "thinking it's not real and that it's some elaborate hoax".
"We're incredibly grateful," the woman said.
"It's a wonderful feeling not having to worry about the future. We're looking forward to being able to travel and buy our own place.
"We're very sensible, though," the woman added. "We baulked when we saw the price of business class upgrades!"
