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 going to be hectic around this little area, it's already crazy as it is. With Ikea opening it's just going to create more traffic jams."
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
She starts work at 5am and is worried traffic will be bad when she finishes mid-afternoon.
They're already serving customers who work at Ikea, who describe the 34,000 square metre store as gigantic.
"It's next level off the charts. A lot of the staff that are working in there are my customers, so the builders, the electricians are coming in and they're already telling me it's next level."
A strip of retailers across the road from the new-comer are preparing to guard their customer carparks - Ikea's carpark opens at 8.30am on Thursday, the store opens at 11am.
An extra carpark will be available to manage overflows in Ikea's parking lot to accommodate another 400 vehicles nearby, on Carbine Road.
Ikea said it's not possible to camp in their carpark and anyone attempting an overnighter will be moved on.
Computer Lounge sales director Alex van der Linde said he'll be leaving home at least an hour earlier than usual to try to beat traffic.
"We're all prepared to be coming in early and just accounting for the additional traffic, I anticipate that the majority of Carbine Road is going to be on gridlock for most of the day."
Photo: Supplied/IKEA
He said they hope to get a boost in business from Ikea customers.
"We expect that we'll have a lot more eyes on our business as people are driving past, even though they're obviously going to Ikea. We're doing what we can to expose ourselves a little bit more to the street, working on signage, that sort of thing."
Next door, Rock Shop branch manager Michael Greenwood said he'll still drive to work.
"I'll be allowing myself quite a bit of extra time to get to work, especially in the first week of it opening when there will be a lot of people wanting to go have a look, everybody at the same time.
"In terms of how it will effect our business, we don't really know. It may impact us for a period of time but it will also, in the longer term, benefit us."
Auckland Transport's operations centre will be a hive of activity when Ikea opens and manager Claire Howard said anyone heading to Ikea's opening should expect delays.
"Around that Mt Wellington area it is already a very busy area. We've been planning for a large amount of congestion and traffic delays around that Mt Wellington Highway, and around Ikea especially where people are coming into the car parking and coming out."
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
The motorway interchange at Mt Wellington will be a pinch point.
"Worst case scenario we're looking at potentially 40 minutes to get off the motorway... and people could spend up to an hour trying to get parking."
She said they've learned from Costco's opening - and expect Saturdays to be busiest.
Even though she's a few doors down, John said she won't be going near Ikea this week.
"It's just going to be too crazy and being a Thursday, one of our busiest days, and with that opening next door to me there's just no way we're going to go."
Auckland Transport is encouraging people to bus or train to Ikea to avoid traffic delays.
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