In Auckland, businesses near the new Ikea store are steeling themselves for a stampede to the homeware giant's opening on Thursday.
Traffic experts have run their numbers and expect crowds of up to 20,000 a day, with a 40-minute crawl on the nearby motorway and another 40 to find a car park.
Ikea's three-storey blue box consumes a whole block at Mt Wellington, with 544 carparks, close to 37 bike racks and 28 motorbike bays - for those not taking home the flat packs.
Just a few doors down, Cloud 777 Cafe manager Vicky John is expecting local roads to be a jam.
"I know it's go
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