Lotto winners celebrated with a pie

[Click here for links to the interview]

The winners of the country's largest Lotto prize ate pies at a small Whangarei food shop and laughed out loud at their new fortune, they said today.

Auckland couple Geoffrey and Helen Henderson said after buying an $18 million winning Lotto ticket in the small Northland town of Kaeo nearly a fortnight ago, they had a very careful drive back to Auckland with a stop in Whangarei for some food.

"I had a steak and kidney pie and Geoff had a mince and cheese sitting in a side street in Whangarei and we just started to laugh because it is not real for people, believe me," Mrs Henderson told Newstalk ZB today.

The couple, both close to 60 and from Blockhouse Bay, said the win was ridiculous, unbelievable and funny.

"It is funny it is happy and it is stressful," Mrs Henderson said.

However, she said while their lives would change, their personalities would not.

"We have both had full life experiences and we have learnt from those," Mr Henderson said.

"We are not rushing out and buying Ferraris. I don't want to be like the old fart in a sports car looking for another blonde."

That prompted a comment from his wife that a blonde had been in his mind but he had decided against it.

"My dog used to chase buses but he never knew what to do with them when he found one," she said.

Mrs Henderson said if they began living a luxury lifestyle their friends would give them too much grief.

"That is not what we are about as individuals. Sure we will have some luxuries, why not? It is no good being miserable and it is no good feeling guilty.

"If everyone was going to feel guilty when they won money no one would go near the Lotto shop."

The couple said their friends had been very supportive.

They said the winning ticket was left in the garage at their holiday place in Kaeo.

They did not watch the televised draw but had a ring from their son the next day who told them the winning ticket had been sold in Kaeo and gave them the numbers.

When they checked the numbers they thought they had won a second division prize.

But when they re-checked the numbers with another phone call they found they had been given the bonus number first.

"When they corrected it, it was the sixth number. I was standing in the rain in my pink nightdress, the one I take to the beach because no one would see that.

"It was raining and I have got the ticket and the ticket got wet.

"I started to dry it with a tea towel and Geoff said nooooo. So I started to blow on it to dry it off.

"From then on it hit us and we were stunned," Mrs Henderson said.

The ticket was verified at a shop in Kerikeri and they lashed out with a big breakfast at McDonalds.

- NZPA