Tauranga couple celebrate $200,000 Lotto win

Tauranga couple are celebrating after winning $200,000. Photo / File

A Tauranga couple are floating on cloud nine after winning $200,000 with Lotto First Division in Wednesday's live Lotto draw.

The lucky couple, who wish to remain anonymous, have been playing the same lucky numbers since Lotto started – but never imagined just how lucky they would become.

"When I saw on the news on Thursday morning that a big winning ticket was sold at Brookfield Foodmart and Lotto, my first thought was somebody's very lucky," said the woman.

"It's our regular Lotto shop, so then I thought it might be worth digging out our ticket and checking it just in case."

Pulling the results on MyLotto, the woman went numb when she saw their lucky numbers appear on the screen.

"I recognised the numbers as soon as I saw them on the results page – we've been playing them for over 30 years, so I feel like I could spot them anywhere.

"We have a bit of a routine around how we check our tickets and normally leave it until Sunday – just imagine if we'd left it that long this week," laughed the winner.

Tucking the ticket into her wallet, the woman grabbed her husband and headed down to the Lotto shop to claim their prize.

"When the owner saw us walk in he said 'You've won Lotto, haven't you!'," laughed the winner.

"We've been going to his store for a long time now and never come in on a Thursday, so he knew straight away something was up. I walked straight up to him and gave him a big hug."

With the winnings safely in the couple's bank account, the winners are now looking forward to deciding what to do with their winnings.

"We have a trip planned, so we might treat ourselves and upgrade our flights and accommodation," said the woman.

"We want to give some to our children as well, but other than that we're not too sure – we're still on cloud nine. It hasn't quite sunk in yet."

The winning ticket was sold at Brookfield Foodmart and Lotto in Tauranga for the Lotto draw on Wednesday 27 March.