Northlanders dreaming of $42M Powerball win tonight

Whangārei Pak'n Save Lotto manager Julz Hyde, serving Natalie Williams, says her customers have been queuing up to get their tickets for tonight's $42 million Powerball draw. Photo / Tania Whyte

What would $42 million get you?:

■ 563 average houses in Northland, where the average property price is $781,000.

■ Almost the full cost of Whangārei's controversial $48m civic centre

■ Being able to pay the yearly incomes of 462 Northland homes.

■ A fleet of flash cars, including a 2021 Audi RS e-tron Sedan GT quattro for sale for $287,400 on Driven-co.nz.

■ Heaps to give to charity - most are struggling with fundraising under Covid and all would welcome any generosity.

A big Lotto win is the thing of dreams for many, but tonight's $42 million Lotto/Powerball jackpot would take a Northland winner into the ranks of the super-rich, with enough money to support a fabulous lifestyle.

You've got to have a ticket to be in to win, of course, but just buying a ticket gives no guarantees of success.

In fact, you've got more chance of being struck by lightning twice in your lifetime than you do of winning Powerball First Division once.

With Northland returning to Covid alert level 2 today

, the region's Lotto outlets are expected to be packed as punters buy tickets in their thousands, with all hoping they will have the six winning Lotto First Division numbers and winning Powerball number on their ticket.

According to Lotteries, the chances of winning Powerball First Division are 38,383,800 to one. Those are pretty long odds by anybody's standards - to put that into perspective, the chances of being struck by lightning once in your lifetime are 900,000 to one, while the chances of being struck by lightning twice are 9,000,000 to one.

The winner of tonight's $42 million Powerball prize, if struck, can get a fleet of flash cars, such as this 2021 Aston Martin DBS Volante for sale at $615,287 on Driven.co.nz.

But if a Northlander wins the big one tonight they will probably feel as if they have been hit by a lightning bolt or two.

Whangārei Pak'n Save Lotto manager Julz Hyde said: "Our customers are very happy that they can get their tickets in alert level 3. My customers are absolutely amazing, they've stuck with me for the last 17 years while I've been selling Lotto. They're all very good at abiding by the Covid protocols, wearing masks and socially distancing in line to make sure we can operate safely.

''It's huge this week - who wouldn't want $42 million? People often share what they'd do with their winnings - some say they'd take me out for dinner, and one customer even said they'd buy me a new Triumph bike.

''Pak'n Save and Lotto give back a lot to great community causes and many of our customers say they would use the winnings to show generosity to the community and help the ambulance service. I want to say 'all the best' to everybody who bought a ticket from us."

Natalie Williams was buying a ticket at the store when the Advocate called in to get a picture.

Williams joked that she'd probably initially have a heart attack if she won, but would likely sit on the win for a while to give time to savour what to do with such wealth and before making any big decisions.

''It would be wonderful to win that much. You could do so much good with it.''

A $42 million Lotto/Powerball win would almost pay for Whangārei's controversial $48M civic centre that is under construction in Rust Ave.

So what could you do if you won $42 million?

Surely a first priority would be to repay any debt, then support family and friends and give a big chunk to charity.

You could buy a pretty decent new home in the region, with the OneRoof property website showing three homes for sale in Northland worth more than $9 million, including a 'majestic waterfront landholding' at 465 Otaha Road, Kerikeri - a 65-hectare property with its own beach that is being sold by tender by Bayleys.

Or, with the average residential property price in Northland $781,000, the winner could buy around 53 such homes.

If fast cars are what you like there are plenty to chose from, although Northland's shoddy roads may not be the best place to drive your flash new wheels.

On the Driven.co.nz website you could get a 2021 Aston Martin DBS Volante for $615,287; or a 2019 McLaren 720s Spider for $429,000.

In fact, you could get a whole fleet of supercars. Or, if you don't want a gas-guzzler, there are plenty of electric vehicles on Driven, with a high-performance 2021 Audi e-tron RS Sedan GT quattro for sale for $287,400.

If public largesse is your thing, the winner could use the money to save Whangārei ratepayers a lot of money, with the prize almost enough to pay for the city's controversial $48m civic centre that is under construction in Rust Ave.

And with the average annual household income in Northland for 2021 at $90,730 - according to Infometrics - per annum, the $42,000,000 would be enough to pay the yearly incomes of 462 Northland homes.

Will the Powerball fall kindly for a Northland punter in tonight's $42 million Lotto jackpot draw.