The Guy Who Left A $1 Million Winning Lotto Ticket On Top Of His Car

So you've just won Lotto, but now you've lost the ticket... This is a story that nightmares are made of!

"I consider myself quite a lucky person, so when my flatmate told me of the local win, I just a had a feeling it was me," he told the Herald on Sunday.

The man, in his 30s, decided not to check his ticket for 10 days to extend the dream of what it would feel like to be an instant millionaire.

The dream became a reality when he returned to the supermarket on July 9. "I checked the ticket under the self-checker and came up with 'major prize winner', and I knew it was me," he said.

Any Lotto win over $1000 is classed as a major prize and winners can either fill in a form at a Lotto outlet to have their winnings deposited into their bank account, or claim the winnings at Lotto New Zealand's Newmarket HQ.

After having celebratory drink with Lotto staff, he grabbed an envelope to keep his ticket safe and continued on with his shopping.

"I thought I might as well grab a box of beers to take home to celebrate with my mates. I got back to my car and as I opened the door, I put the box of beers in the back seat and, for some reason, put the Lotto ticket on the roof of my car."

It wasn't until the winner got home that he realised what he had done.

"I just stood by the car, absolutely stunned at what I'd done - I'd basically just let $1 million fly off."

He grabbed his flatmate and raced back to the store to search for the missing envelope. The pair scoured the carpark with no luck.

They then decided to follow the car's route home and found the envelope sitting in the middle of the road - one of the busiest in central Auckland - just outside the supermarket.

"I couldn't believe it was just sitting there," the winner said. "Now I can say I am truly a lucky person."

NZ Herald