Maketū Pies will now be available via a PieBot vending machine in Rotorua's famous Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest.
Thousands of holiday visitors to Rotorua’s Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest will be able to experience an additional Bay of Plenty icon this summer, with the unveiling of the city’s first PieBot, containing New Zealand’s famous Maketū Pies, at the Redwoods isite this week. The Maketū Pies PieBot is the first hot pie vending machine to be installed in Rotorua, and offers all 10 Maketū Pies flavours, from the humble Mince & Cheese, to the iconic Smoked Fish, much-loved Butter Chicken and Whopper Sausage Roll.
Donned with the slogan ‘No kai like a Maketū Pie’ and new cultural designs, the unmissable ‘big red box’ is located immediately outside the Isite and beside the Redwoods Treewalk, right in the middle of the bustling Redwoods forest, which sees more than 600,000 manuhiri every year.
“The PieBot is an ingenious design that has everything Kiwis love, convenience, speed, and of course, hot pies,” said Maketū Pies general manager, Craig Williams.
Created by WM Robotics, the PieBot has been dubbed ‘the future of hot food vending’. Equipped with a large pie warmer, touch screen and an EFTPOS machine, the PieBot delivers hot pies at the tap of a card.
“You simply tap your payment card to unlock the doors, select from the Maketū Pie products on offer, and your card is automatically charged for the selected products. It’s absolute genius,” said Williams.
“It was a no-brainer to bring the PieBot to Rotorua, as Maketū Pies has a special relationship with the city and the wider Bay of Plenty. Our relationship with Te Arawa is special, and we’re committing to supporting the city wherever we can.”
Craig said he is proud of the recent revival of the iconic Kiwi brand, which comes after Montana Group bought the business just over a year ago.
“We’ve spent months breathing new life back into Maketū Pies and bringing back the high-quality pies Kiwis have always known and loved. And now, we’re really excited to be able to share them with thousands of international and local visitors as well.”
Graham Brownrigg, Head of Visitor and Customer Experience at RotoruaNZ, said good adventures are even better when they’re fuelled by a great pie, and everyone loves a Maketū Pie.
“At Rotorua’s isites, we’re all about improving the visitor experience, and we love the innovation shown by the Auckland University engineering graduates behind this technology. With great food already at the forest gate, a self-service option is perfect for visitors in a hurry to get to their next adventure, or for locals squeezing in a trip to the Redwoods between everyday life.”
Subscribe to the Restaurant & Café newsletter for weekly industry updates and event coverage.
