Christian Cullen loses Pahīatua pie-eating competition to champion eater Wiremu (Moo) Wolland

Christian Cullen was a special guest at the pie eating competition in Pahiatua.

Christian Cullen might have once been known as the “Paekākāriki Express”, but that didn’t help when he took part in a pie-eating competition in Pahīatua last week.

The former All Blacks and Super Rugby player is now “doing stuff” for real estate agent Property Brokers and didn’t mind coming over to Pahīatua for it.

The five competitors (from left): Jacob Smith, Christian Cullen, Tanarn Wolland, Wiremu (Moo) Wolland and Will Nicolson in the Pahīatua pie-eating competition.

“[To] support the local Property Broker boys,” Cullen says.

Since retiring from competition sport in 2007, he’s kept busy raising a family, working in property, appearing on Sky Sport and “playing a bit of golf”, as well as being an ambassador for the real estate company.

But when it came to eating the pies supplied by Pahīatua bakery Thyme 2 Ryes, Cullen was no match for the eventual winner, Wiremu (Moo) Wolland, who polished off nine in the allotted time of 10 minutes.

Moo’s son, Tanarn, was a close second, with seven.

Cullen called it midway through his third pie.

The winner, polishing off nine pies in 10 minutes, is Wiremu (Moo) Wolland (right), with son Tanarn, at Pahīatua's second pie-eating competition.

Patrick Baker, a sales manager at Property Brokers Pahīatua, organised and judged the competition, starting off the proceedings by reminding the participants to “always remember to blow on the pie”.

It’s the second time the pie-eating contest has been held, as a nod to Father’s Day, although the rule was slightly different from last year’s, when the competitors had a limit of four pies and were timed, with the fastest time declared the winner.