A Whakatane woman has won $1m after buying a Lotto ticket on a whim.
A Whakatane local has been left stunned after realising she had won $1 million with Lotto's "Make Summer Last Forever" promotion, drawn on Saturday.
The winner is not a regular Lotto player but decided to pick up a ticket on a whim as she walked past the Lotto kiosk at
New World Whakatane, after finishing her weekly grocery shopping.
"The lady at the Lotto shop asked if I'd like a Triple Dip, as there were lots of extra prizes up for grabs in the next draw. It sounded good to me, so that's what I bought. I then promptly popped the ticket in my bag and forgot about it."
With no idea that the top prize had been won in Whakatane, it took a few days for the winner to check her ticket, only digging it out of her handbag when she passed a local Lotto store.
"I had to hunt around a bit to find the ticket, as it had found its way right to the bottom of my bag. I handed the little slip of paper over and the girl behind the counter told me I'd won $1 million. I couldn't believe it, I was absolutely stunned."
