When Mitsubishi Motors hosted 40 dealers and hire companies for a day in Wellington recently, spread over five days, they were greeted at the airport by a Beastly line up: a dozen of the 2019 Mitsubishi Triton – Beast Mode vehicles.

No sedate motorway travel for this group: they hit the rocky South Coast, past the seals at Red Rocks and bounced up and over Devil’s Gate before arriving at the isolated Green Shed at Makara Station. Appropriately accessible only to four-wheeled drive vehicles, there was no power or water supply.

So when the Ruth Pretty Catering team of chefs arrived at Makara Station to create lunch, they also needed 4WD. They transferred all their food and gear from white vans to 4WD vehicles (not Beasts) to access the site.  Fortunately chef Nicola, all of 5’ tall and brought up on a farm, took the challenge in her stride and drove the 4WD.

“There were  different groups of guests every day for five days, with an hour for lunch” she explained.  “So we suggested a hearty but relaxed, quickly cooked and easy to eat barbecue lunch for the participants.

“After putting the Beast through its paces around the station’s hilly tracks, they had worked up quite an appetite.” See menu here.

Obviously there was no alcohol but plenty of other tasty drinks to keep fluids up,” she reported.

Mitsubishi’s Marketing Events and Communities Co-ordinator Hannah Kahu added that Ruth’s team had made the event easy for them, from planning to delivery.

“Our guests talked about the Beast in terms like “memorable, awesome and an exceptional experience” – descriptions that could just as easily apply to the catering,” she smiled.