The New Year's countdown has begun for one Lotto customer, with an unclaimed $500,000 ticket sold in Port Chalmers last year set to expire in six days.
Included with the Lotto Triple ticket was a voucher - number 197694 - which earned the customer the right to claim the half-million-dollar prize and an early Christmas present.
But rather than Santa coming early, it may be the Christmas Grinch who strikes, with the ticket set to become one of Lotto's largest unclaimed prizes.
Purchased from Port Chalmers Hammer Hardware before the Saturday, December 29, draw last year, the ticket and voucher were part of a Lotto Christmas promotion.
First prize in the promotion, a $1 million voucher issued at Tairua Stationers in the Coromandel, is also unclaimed.
It is set to become one of the largest unclaimed Lotto prizes since a $3 million ticket sold in Masterton in early 2003 was not claimed.
Ticket-holders have 12 months from the date of the draw on their ticket to claim their prize.
"We're keen to find these mystery voucher-holders and unite them with their winnings," NZ Lotteries chief executive Todd McLeay said.
"We have the cash ready and waiting for this big winner, so we encourage all people who bought a ticket at [Port Chalmers] nearly a year ago to find and check those old tickets."
About 3% of NZ Lotteries prizes are unclaimed each year, with the money going towards other jackpots and promotional prizes.
Port Chalmers Hammer Hardware manager Andrew Aitcheson said the prize "slipped under the radar", following the outlet selling a Big Wednesday prize of $2.3 million about the same time.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was sold to a cruise-ship passenger, as most people tend to check their tickets."
A large number of visitors to the port bought Lotto tickets and they may not have been aware of how to check the voucher which came with the ticket, he said.
The store was no longer a Lotto outlet, Mr Aitcheson said.
