30 PM, even though the markets don't open until 5 PM.

So now I've been asked to get there early because there are so many people,' says Nikita Joel, the sweet maker behind Whisked Creations.

She started making her own version of the Dubai bar for Mother's Day, initially from her own kitchen.

When she received requests from all over the country, she began selling online, and thousands were sold in minutes.

'I was loading them up at 6 PM on a Sunday, making 1000 a week.

Since they are all handmade and molded, it takes time.

And I could see on my screen, the orders were gone in minutes.

'There was a pregnant woman from Hamilton who made an order but was worried about how long it would take as she was desperate to get her hands on it.

It arrived in the morning, and she gave birth in the afternoon.

The demand was so high that Nikita had to stop online shipping while she planned how to produce more, opening a new kitchen and hiring her mom as a manager along with a whole team of people.

When she announced she would be selling them at Botany night market, buyers from as far as Wellington were in a frenzy, wondering how they could get their hands on them.

'It's been crazy.

.

.

I never thought it would take off like this.

I think it's because people have never tasted anything so different.

'New Zealand chocolate lovers were talking so much about the Dubai bar, says Tori Connell, manager of New Zealand company House of Chocolate, that they decided to create their own recipe.

Launched as a one-off in July as the 'creation of the month', it was so popular that they have now made it a permanent part of their range.

'We're selling thousands of them.

People have heard about the Dubai trend and are keen to try it, then like it so much they buy more.

' The combination of pistachio and knafeh paste—a Middle Eastern mix of shredded filo-like pastry and syrup—is new to many New Zealanders, adding to its popularity, she says.

'When the knafeh is cooked, it is crunchy, so the filling has that crunch when you break the bar, along with a softer, creamy praline filling.

We are not used to pastry being used in sweets, so people are loving a new, unique taste.

' House of Chocolate uses New Zealand ingredients and calls their bar Pistachio Knafeh Milk Chocolate Bar, but most people refer to it as 'the viral Dubai chocolate', she says.

Byron McLean, owner of Cocoa Wilds in O'Connell Street in Auckland's CBD, has already seen how a product can suddenly become popular, with his toasted marshmallow fluff-topped hot chocolates.

'It was viral in a New Zealand sense—on a smaller scale than the Dubai chocolate, but it was amazing to see how quickly news of it spread.

I think if you have a product that looks good, tastes good, and is different—like the Dubai chocolate—it can really take off, even in a cost-of-living crisis, as chocolate does well as people's little indulgence.

'In Christchurch this week, food reviewer Sophie Stevens tried a Biscoff version of the Dubai sensation, saying she's a little 'late to the party' to try it, but 'the Dubai chocolate bars are in New Zealand'.

After snapping it in half, she declared it 'delicious' and 'way crunchier than I thought'.

The original Dubai Fix bars now sell 500 in minutes, the chocolate's creator, Sarah Hamouda, told CNN, but although she's received inquiries from around the world, they are not currently exporting them to other countries.

This has left chocolatiers around the world to produce their own versions to satisfy the millions who want to try it.

The queues at Auckland markets and online buyers snapping up thousands in minutes show that New Zealanders are eager to indulge in this new trend too.