New Zealand's first Costco store has been jammed during opening week. Photo: Stuff / Abigail Dougherty
The cooking of rotisserie chicken at New Zealand's newest megastore, Costco, has tripped the fire alarm - causing the evacuation of hundreds of customers.
Fire and Emergency shift manager Josh Pennefather said during the process of cooking the chicken, the ovens were opened and the steam caused the fire alarms to go off.
Two fire trucks and one ladder truck attended the incident, which happened just before 4pm on Sunday.
Videos on the "Costco NZ Fans" Facebook page showed hundreds of people shuffling out the main doors and milling around the front.
Ruby Thompson said she was only halfway through her shop when the alarm went off.
"I had to just leave all my stuff behind and hope that it's still going to be there when I get back," she said.
"It's opening week, there's going to be a few bumps."
Shoppers have been descending on the megastore all week, since its opening, with long lines out the front during the weekend.
The store had its big opening on Wednesday morning, with dedicated fans camping outside the day before to be first in line.