A woman who popped into the supermarket for a chocolate bar and on a whim bought a Lotto ticket is now of New Zealand’s biggest prize winners.

The woman and her husband from Paraparaumu won an enormous $37.125 million Powerball prize last Wednesday – the third largest prize won by a single ticket in Lotto NZ’s history.

The couple, who wish to remain anonymous, said they only buy a ticket when the jackpot is over $30 million – and that the latest ticket was bought very last minute.

“I was on my way home after work and was craving a chocolate bar, so I quickly popped into the supermarket,” the woman said.

“While I was there, I noticed the high jackpot and thought I’d grab a Lucky Dip at the same time.”

With her chocolate bar and yellow ticket in hand, the woman headed home – hours later her husband woke her with the amazing news that has turned their lives upside down.

“I was still up and scrolling online – trying to catch some footage of the women’s World Cup,” the man said.

“I came across a news item about the jackpot being struck in Kāpiti, along with a list of the winning numbers. So, I grabbed our ticket and began matching our numbers against the winning ones. It slowly dawned on me that one of our lines seemed to have all the winning numbers – including the Powerball. I couldn’t believe it!” the man said.

“It was well after ten by this time, and I was in such a rush to show my wife that I stumbled down the hall in the dark to wake her up.”

The frantic shouting that woke the woman from her slumber had her wondering ‘Is this good news or bad news?’ she said.

Once she realised he was trying to tell her they were the winners of the massive jackpot the woman said she “burst into tears.”

After a sleepless night, the couple both went to work the next day.

“We were both at work the next day,” the man said. “I had a lot of meetings, but it was easy to get through them knowing I had this winning ticket!”

“Our children were just as emotional when we told them the next day,” the woman said. “They were non-stop crying and so happy for us.”

The couple have now claimed the prize packet of more than $37 million and said they were excited about what the future held.

“We’re over the moon,” the man said. “This will be a big help for all our family. It means less pressure and more opportunities to do the things we’ve always wanted.

“There are so many people and causes close to our hearts we’d like to support – and this is the most important thing for us.”

Kirsty Wynn is an Auckland-based journalist with more than 20 years’ experience in New Zealand newsrooms. She has covered everything from crime and social issues to the property market and has a current focus on consumer affairs.