More than a year of anticipation will be over for the White Ferns, finally getting a chance to snap Australia's winning streak and make it lucky No 13 in front of their own fans.
"It's a really exciting opportunity for us - to get to play against Australia at a home World Cup at my favourite ground in New Zealand is pretty cool," said Wellington captain Maddy Green.
"Australia have probably set the benchmark in women's cricket in the last few years, and to get a win over them would put us in an excellent position."
It certainly would, given the White Ferns followed their heart-stopping defeat by the West Indies to open the tournament with comfortable wins over Bangladesh and India.
With those results secured and a path to the semifinals beginning to come into view, there could have been a temptation to treat tomorrow as a preparation run ahead of a potential playoff clash.
After all, New Zealand's place in the final four will not be determined by what they do against Australia; next Sunday's encounter with England appears much more pivotal. But Green was quick to dispatch with that line of thought.
"I don't necessarily think it's a free hit for us," she said. "It's about making sure against the top sides in the world we go out and express our skills and take some confidence."
Confidence was gleaned, Green said, from New Zealand's crushing victory over Australia in their final warm-up game, when Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Amelia Kerr chased down 322 with 41 balls to spare.
Like Lincoln, where that unofficial fixture was played, the Basin promises to boast a good batting wicket, but that's where the similarities between the matches will likely end.
"Real games are a very different proposition - there's a lot more pressure around," said Australian captain Meg Lanning.
"There's no doubt this is a big game. There's a lot riding on it. New Zealand are in great form - they've shown that they play these conditions extremely well and their big players are performing.
"These are the games you want to be part of as a player. They're really exciting, they're really important in the context of the tournament and we're really excited about the opportunity."
The six-time world champions start as warm favourites and, having won 31 of their last 32 ODIs against all opposition, understandably hold that same status in the tournament.
But there's one opponent Australia haven't overcome in their remarkable recent run, one that Green knows well.
"It's good to see that Wellington's organised a nice fresh southerly for the Australians," she said. "I'm not sure they're going to enjoy that too much."
