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Thousands of holiday visitors to Rotorua’s Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest will be able to enjoy an extra Bay of Plenty icon this summer, with the launch of the city’s first PieBot — stocked with Maketū Pies — at the Redwoods isite.
The Maketū Pies PieBot is the first hot pie vending machine to be installed in Rotorua and offers all 10 Maketū Pies flavours, including mince and cheese, smoked fish, butter chicken and the Whopper sausage roll.
Branded with the slogan ‘No kai like a Maketū Pie’ and featuring new cultural designs, the distinctive red vending machine is located outside the isite and beside the Redwoods Treewalk, in the heart of a forest that attracts more than 600,000 manuhiri each year.
“The PieBot is an ingenious design that has everything Kiwis love — convenience, speed and, of course, hot pies,” says Maketū Pies general manager Craig Williams.
Created by WM Robotics, the PieBot has been described as the future of hot food vending. Equipped with a large pie warmer, touchscreen and EFTPOS machine, it delivers hot pies with a simple tap of a card.
“You tap your payment card to unlock the doors, choose from the Maketū Pie range, and your card is automatically charged. It’s absolute genius,” Williams says.
He says bringing the PieBot to Rotorua was a natural fit, given Maketū Pies’ long-standing relationship with the city and the wider Bay of Plenty.
“Our relationship with Te Arawa is special, and we’re committed to supporting Rotorua wherever we can.”
Williams also points to the brand’s recent revival, following Montana Group’s purchase of the business just over a year ago.
“We’ve spent months breathing new life back into Maketū Pies and restoring the high-quality pies Kiwis have always known and loved. Now, we’re excited to share them with thousands of local and international visitors.”
RotoruaNZ head of visitor and customer experience Graham Brownrigg says great adventures are even better when fuelled by a great pie.
“At Rotorua’s isites, we’re focused on improving the visitor experience, and we love the innovation shown by the Auckland University engineering graduates behind this technology.
“With great food already available at the forest gate, a self-service option is perfect for visitors in a hurry to reach their next adventure, or for locals fitting in a visit to the Redwoods between everyday life.”
