Rotorua says hello Pork Pie (+video)

Opotiki-born James Rolleston was back in the Bay promoting his new film, the original of which was made well before he was born.

Rolleston was one of a number of actors and producers taking part in a road trip of New Zealand to promote the remake of the original Goodbye Pork Pie, which was released in February 1981.

The new film, Pork Pie, will be released in New Zealand cinemas on Thursday. More than a dozen Mini enthusiasts and fans met the Pork Pie team outside the Polynesian Spa on Saturday.

Rolleston, still recovering from a head injury suffered in a car crash near Opotiki late last year, said it has been an awesome experience travelling down the county and meeting everyone.

"We've had lots of Minis join us and they have all been awesome people.

"I can't wait to keep going down the country in our bunch of Minis."

He said the trip started in Kaitaia and travelled down to Auckland for the film's New Zealand premier.

On Saturday they held a pie-eating contest in Matata before heading to Rotorua and travelling to Taupo yesterday.

"I'm stoked how it [the film] turned out and it was a massive experience for me ... this film is a perfect representation of how beautiful our country is."

The star of Boy, The Dark Horse and The Dead Lands said he was still working on his speech and did not have a lot of energy, but was improving fast and was sure he would make a full recovery over time.

The film's producer Tom Hern said he was too young to remember the hype and popularity of the original Goodbye Pork Pie.

"When I read his [Matt Murphy's] script I was reading it as his own standalone piece of work and thought it was a bloody great yarn.

"After making The Dark Horse...which was a much heavier piece of work - I just loved the prospect of making something that would make people laugh and have a good time.

"I watched the original when I was a kid, but I didn't feel the pressure because I didn't have the experience of how much of a cultural phenomenon it was back in '81."