Locals believe small town's golden ticket Lotto jackpot won by visitor

The ticket was sold at the Market Store in Twizel for the December 28 draw. Photo / Michael Bradley

It was the eye-watering $17.1 million golden ticket that went unclaimed for days. And locals believe it was likely a visitor who finally walked away with Twizel's big jackpot.

The winning ticket was sold at the Market Store in Twizel just days after Christmas.

After three weeks of national intrigue the winner fronted up to collect their prize.

Incredibly the new millionaire had deliberately waited to claim the sum, calling the whole experience surreal and saying they needed time to process things.

"I had to re-check the ticket multiple times before I was convinced that I had won – and even then I kept going back and looking at the ticket to make sure I had got it right," the winner said.

"I just couldn't believe it – I'm still in shock."

Mackenzie District mayor Graham Smith said it had been fantastic to see one of the little towns in Mackenzie sell a big winning Lotto ticket.

He believed the winner was probably somebody from out of town.

"It would have been pretty hard for a local to have kept it real quiet but you just don't know," he said.

"All I can say as mayor is well done and I wish them all the very best."

While it was a life-changing sum, and should be managed as such, he hoped the winner also knew that money was not everything in life.

A shop worker in Twizel said speculation about the winner had been rife among people passing through the shop.

Everybody wanted to know who the lucky winner was, she said, and when news broke that it had been claimed that "sparked some new interest".

"Most people know everybody here."

Word would have travelled fast in the community if somebody had professed to be the winner.

"Everybody would have known within a day probably."

The woman joked she would have staked her claim in another town if it were her.

In a statement the winner said they were focused on how they could help others with the win, including plans to pay off the mortgages of close family members.

They were also planning some overseas travel – something they never thought would be a possibility.

"I've travelled a little, but never thought I would ever have the chance to travel more. I have so many options now, and life will be so much easier."

Some of the $17.1m windfall would also be given to a "number of charities".

News of the winner's decision to wait it out to give themselves time to think things over and process the news was received positively on the NZ Herald's Facebook page.

One person said: "It is life changing and not every aspect of that change will be positive. I can see why you'd want to take a breath first and figure out what you're going to do and how."

With another person saying it had sounded like a genuine and humble person had won, calling it "meant to be".