Chilli eating champs not for the faint-hearted (+video)

There's nothing like a few red faces and some human suffering to pull in a crowd and the New Zealand Chilli Eating Championships certainly did that.

Brew Craft Beer Pub on Eat Streat hosted heat seven of the championships, run by Northland-based company Fire Dragon Chillies, on Saturday with eight contestants lining up to sample some of the hottest chillies in the world.

The rules were pretty simple: no drinking, no leaving the table and no throwing up.

About 150 people watched from the bar and from Eat Streat as contestants munched their way toward a place in the national final sampling chillies with names such as Brazilian Ghost chillies and Scorpion Moruga chillies from Trinidad, plus a super hot chilli con carne and spicy chicken wings covered with hot sauce.

Mamaku's Mike Hindmarsh and another Rotorua local, Hori Thompson, pushed the reigning New Zealand chilli eating champ Josh Shotter hard, but both threw in the towel at the same time with Mr Shotter eventually winning the heat.

Mr Hindmarsh said he could have gone on a bit longer but had drunk too much milk before the start of the heat and his stomach was too full to continue.

"I really love my chillies and at one stage thought I could win it. But I just got too full and couldn't fit anything else in.

"I'll definitely give it another go," he said.

However, it was a big win for the champ who had come third at a recent heat in Paihia and had to win in Rotorua to qualify for the finals.

Mr Shotter said he did not prepare well for the Paihia heat but had his game face on for Rotorua.

"My mind was not in it and my preparation was pretty bad, but I got it together. It's got a lot to do with mind over matter," he said.

Competition organiser and Fire Dragon Chillies owner Clint Meyer said while the competition was a lot of fun and competitors did it mainly for the glory, this year there was a serious side to the competition as he was also raising funds for Lifeline Aotearoa, a suicide prevention and counselling service.

Mr Meyer said a competitor and friend had recently taken his own life and he wanted to bring attention to the issue of suicide in New Zealand.

"We don't talk a lot about this, but suicide takes more lives than the road toll every year so I thought this was a good opportunity to help raise some money for a worthy cause."

The national final is on May 20 at the New Zealand Hot Sauce Festival being held at the Sweatshop Brew Kitchen in Auckland.

Where to get help
In an emergency: Call 111.
Crisis, Assessment and Treatment Team at Lakes DHB: 0800 166 167.
Lifeline Aotearoa: 0800 543 354.
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865.
Youthline: 0800 376 633, or text 234 or talk@youthline.co.nz or live chat (7pm to 11pm). Kidsline: 0800 543 754.
Whatsup: 0800 942 8787.
Depression helpline: 0800 111 757.
Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155 (weekdays 11am to 5pm).
NetSafe: 0508 NETSAFE (0508 638 723), www.theorb.org.nz