North Waikato Lotto winner who won $300,000 overjoyed to claim ticket

The North Waikato woman said she'd delayed getting the ticket checked, but was overjoyed when she found out she'd won. Photo/File

A woman who took more than two months to check her Lotto ticket has finally claimed her $300,000 winnings.

The North Waikato woman said she'd delayed getting the ticket checked, but was overjoyed when she found out she'd won.

"I was pottering around at home and everything kind of aligned. I remembered about the prize, found my ticket and checked it through the Lotto NZ app," she said.

"When 'major prize winner' popped up on the screen I couldn't believe my eyes. I just burst into tears."

The woman said she had been meaning to check her ticket, but never got around to it.

"When I was having a hard day at work I'd think 'I should check that Strike ticket tonight', but the thought was always gone by the time I was home."

She said she knew the Tuakau Food Market she'd bought the ticket from had sold a winner after the man who served her mentioned it to her.

When she showed her husband the winning message, he said he was just as shocked by the news.

"I didn't know what was going on, so just scanned the ticket and it said we'd won a major prize. My mind went blank, I didn't know what to think," he said.

The couple said they hadn't thought too hard about what they might spend the money on. However, the woman said she already has her sights on a new car and would celebrate with a bottle of champagne.