$7.2m winning Lotto ticket sat in drawer for 11 days, as Silverdale couple finally claim prize

A North Shore woman was oblivious to the fact she had stashed a winning Lotto ticket worth $7.2 million in a drawer for 11 days before finally checking it at the weekend.

The woman finally took a pile of Lotto tickets to the shops at the weekend and was in shock when the words "First Division Winner" appeared on the screen.

She jumped in her car and raced home to tell her husband - still unaware of just how much the couple who have children had won.

"I kept telling myself that it would just be a small prize – a nice little win. I was doing everything I could to just keep calm and get home," the woman said.

"Then I looked the results up online and checked them against my ticket – the winning line jumped out at me and I popped a little star beside it. Not that I really needed to – I'll never forget what it looked like."

The woman finally took a pile of Lotto tickets to the shops at the weekend and was in shock when the words "First Division Winner" appeared on the screen. Photo / Supplied

The winnings from the Powerball win are now sitting in their bank account while they decide what to do with it.

"We're going to take our time – we feel very lucky and want to make sure the winnings last, both for us and our kids," the woman said.

The couple said the most important thing was to make sure the money lasted and that they could use it to help out their loved ones.

While they felt very lucky to be winners, it was also still a bit "surreal".

The winning Powerball ticket for the Wednesday 12 September Lotto draw was sold at PAK'nSAVE Silverdale.

Meanwhile, a $2.5 million Powerball ticket sold at Countdown Hastings remains unclaimed.

The unclaimed ticket was purchased for the draw on Wednesday 19 September and Lotto is urging anyone who bought their ticket from Countdown Hastings to write their name on the back of the ticket and check it immediately.

Winners have up to 12 months to claim their prizes.