A woman who won $17.2 million on Lotto waited an anxious two weeks before claiming her mega prize. 

When she eventually decided to claim her millions she endured a "nervous bus ride" to collect the life-changing sum. 

Lotto NZ revealed this morning that the lucky Auckland woman took the bus to their head office in Newmarket to cash in her winning ticket and pocket the $17.2 million prize drawn on December 29. 

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "I was sitting on the bus saying to myself 'keep it cool, keep it cool' but I was looking around me thinking 'I'm sitting here with a $17 million ticket!'" 

She now plans to spend her money helping out family members and investing for her future. 

"I haven't been sleeping since I found out about my win, I woke up this morning at 4am! I'm looking forward to getting a good rest and am so excited for the future - this win is truly going to be life-changing." 

A regular Lotto player, she was at home by herself on the night of the draw and checked her numbers using the MyLotto app. 

"As I checked each number and one by one saw they matched the ones on my ticket… well, it was truly a surreal experience," she said. 

"I was at home by myself and I was so excited, but I also started crying - I felt so overwhelmed."