KEY POINTS:
One New Zealand couple watching the All Blacks lose on Sunday morning had something to celebrate.
When a family member rang at halftime to say the local shop had sold a ticket that clinched a $5.67 million Powerball prize, the couple from Whangaparaoa, lost interest in the rugby and rushed to checked their ticket bought from the shop.
"I saw Powerball number seven and then realised I had all of the other winning numbers in one line," the husband said.
"Put it this way, we did not watch the second half of the rugby after we found out we were multi-millionaires.
"We were too busy checking and re-checking our numbers and then thinking about the possibilities offered by such a big win."
The couple are not being named but they are regular Lotto players and purchased the ticket from Paper Plus Toyworld in Manly, just east of Whangaparaoa, said NZ Lotteries' chief executive, Todd McLeay.
"These winners may be the only truly happy Kiwis in New Zealand who were watching that particular rugby game," said Mr McLeay.
They were on their boat moored off an island in the Hauraki Gulf watching the rugby when they got the lucky phone call.
The couple is planning a holiday and said they will use some of the money to help family members out.
Their win comprised of $5,341,577 from winning Powerball first division and a further $333,333 from also winning Lotto first division.
It was the fourth Powerball prize to be won since mid-June.
- NZPA
