Hunger pangs lead to $500,000 Lotto success for Northland woman

Himanshu Kamal, manager of Tony's Stationery and Lotto in Maungaturoto, is delighted his store sold a Lotto First Division winner in last Wednesday's draw. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Always follow your gut.

Listening to her stomach has brought a Northland woman amazing success after she won $500,000 with Lotto First Division on a ticket she got while picking up a snack to appease her growling stomach last Wednesday.

The winning ticket was sold at Tony's Stationery and Lotto in Maungaturoto, but it was hunger pangs that saw the woman stop at the store.

"I was feeling a bit peckish so I thought I would stop in and get a quick snack while passing through town," said the winner, who did not want to be named.

"When I saw the Lotto store I thought 'oh it's Wednesday, I must get a ticket'. I was feeling a bit peckish so I thought I would stop in and get a quick snack while passing through town," said the winner, who did not want to be named.

"When I saw the Lotto store I thought 'oh it's Wednesday, I must get a ticket'."

It wasn't until a couple of days after the draw that she was prompted by her husband to check the ticket.

"My husband came home from work and said 'did you hear someone in Maungaturoto won Lotto First Division, you didn't get a ticket did you?'," she said.

"I thought 'hang on a minute, I did actually'. I then rushed to my hand bag and got my ticket out and checked it on the Lotto NZ App, which made a funny sound, and I thought 'oh my God, could this be real?'.''

The couple then jumped online to check the results.

"I was calling out the numbers and he was holding the ticket. His hand was shaking and I think we must have checked it at least a half a dozen times,'' she said.

With the winnings now safely in the couple's bank account, the first priority is to pay off their mortgage.

"To be able to pay off our mortgage is huge for us. It just gives us financial freedom to do the things we want to do,'' she said.

"We also want to surprise the kids. We are not sure how yet, but it's certainly going to be a fun Christmas."