Timaru Lotto win: Man claims $1 million after waking from nap
A regular player used birthdays to win the top prize last Sunday and plans to buy a campervan.
By Matthew Qureshi ·
A Timaru resident has collected $1 million after waking from a short sleep to watch the Lotto draw on Sunday.
The man is a consistent player who selects his own numbers based on birthdays and other special dates. He keeps a record of the draws and typically watches the broadcast after his regular afternoon nap. On this particular Sunday, he followed that routine and saw his numbers come up one by one.
He described the moment the first three numbers appeared as a signal he had at least won a bonus ticket. When the fourth number matched, he felt a shock. The fifth number made him want to look away, and the sixth confirmed the win.
"I’m surprised they couldn’t hear me all the way up in Auckland!" he said, describing his reaction to the final number.
After celebrating with a beer, he told a family member about the win. She initially thought he was joking, so he sent her a photo of the ticket. She checked the online results for Timaru, verified the numbers, and confirmed he was the winner.
"She was really chuffed for me when she realised I was the winner and it wasn’t a big joke," he said.
The winner claimed his prize in a local store. He reported that he was shaking for approximately 40 hours after discovering the win, a physical reaction that has only recently stopped. He now feels more relaxed after handing over the ticket for verification.
He plans to use part of the money to buy a campervan for travel around the South Island. He has already started searching online for a vehicle that will allow him to take weekend trips to specific locations. Beyond the purchase, he intends to take a cautious approach to managing the windfall and seek professional advice on handling the funds.
