Northlander wins $75,000 with Instant Kiwi ticket bought at Countdown Dargaville

A lucky Instant Kiwi player from Dargaville is celebrating after uncovering a $75,000 Top Prize on a $5 "Set Sail" Instant Kiwi ticket.

The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, was getting a few things at Countdown Dargaville when he decided to pick up an Instant Kiwi ticket – not knowing just how lucky that decision would be.

"I had finished up work for the evening and decided to scratch the Instant Kiwi ticket I had picked up earlier that day. As I was playing, I noticed I was uncovering quite a few more words than usual [appearing on the crossword] and thought 'whoa, this could be going somewhere'," said the winner.

"When I got to my 10th word, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I just kept thinking, this can't be really happening.

"It wasn't until I scanned the ticket through the Lotto NZ App and saw 'Major prize' appear on the screen that I started to believe it. Luckily my wife was still awake, so I ran straight to the other room to show her – we were both absolutely thrilled."

With news of his win fresh in his mind, the winner had a restless night ahead of him while he waited to check his ticket in-store.

"I was quite worried about losing the ticket – you know, someone stealing it or something. So I buried it under a few random things right at the bottom of my bedside drawer – surely no one would bother looking there," the man said.

"My wife and I went straight down to Countdown Dargaville first thing in the morning to double-check just how much we had won – that's when I saw $75,000 appear on the screen. I was shocked – it's just so awesome this has happened to us."

With the winnings now safely in his bank account, the winner and his wife have been enjoying sharing the news with family and close friends, and are looking forward to doing some home renovations.

The winning $5 "Set Sail" Instant Kiwi ticket was sold at Countdown in Dargaville. There are two Top Prizes remaining on this game.