A West Coast man experienced a moment of disbelief at a Novel World supermarket in Greymouth after discovering he had won $5.08 million in the Powerball draw held on Saturday, February 14th. The winning ticket was one of three that shared the $15 million jackpot, according to Lotto New Zealand.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous along with his partner, initially joked about winning when his sister mentioned the unclaimed prize. “I joked, ‘Nah, no need – it was us, we won it,’ and that was before we even knew!” he recounted. The comment was quickly dismissed until a few days later when he decided to check his ticket while running errands.
“The look on the operator’s face will stay with me forever,” he said, describing the moment the supermarket worker realized the magnitude of his win. “She calmly closed the Lotto counter and took me to the office where she said, ‘You’ve just won Lotto,’ and showed me the receipt with the amount on it.” He described feeling overwhelmed, stating, “I started shaking, trying to make sense of it – I just couldn’t comprehend the numbers.”
Attempts to immediately share the news proved difficult. After completing the necessary paperwork, the man tried to call his partner, who was gardening and missed the call. “When I came back inside, I saw all the missed calls. I phoned him straight back and he was crying and could barely talk. I thought something must be seriously wrong,” she said. He eventually managed to convey the news: “I’ve just won five million dollars.”
Initially skeptical, the woman’s disbelief turned to acceptance when her partner sent a photograph of the winning paperwork. “I didn’t believe him, but then he sent me a photo of the paperwork and called again, saying, ‘Whatever you do, don’t tell anyone,’ so that’s when I thought… maybe he’s actually telling the truth.”
The drive home was marked by heightened awareness. “Suddenly, I was hyper-aware of everything. The only other time I’ve driven like that was when we brought our newborn baby home from the hospital,” the man explained. The couple marked the occasion simply, with a shared treat. “That night, we celebrated with a couple of chocolate biscuits in lieu of champagne.”
The couple are still processing their win and considering their future. “We’re so overwhelmed and emotional. We just keep saying to each other, ‘Can you believe it?’” the man said. Their immediate plans include paying off their mortgage and undertaking home renovations, with a future trip too on their minds. “Our wishlist isn’t that long,” he added.
The winning ticket was sold at New World Greymouth, alongside winning tickets sold at Coastlands Lotto in Paraparaumu and on MyLotto to a player from Masterton. Each winning ticket received $5.08 million, comprised of $5 million from Powerball First Division and $83,333 from Lotto First Division.
