New Zealand has a new cherry pit spitting champion

Hundreds gathered at Cromwell's Heritage Precinct this afternoon for the annual competition.

88 competitors got three chances to fire pits with all their might, in the hope of winning the national trophy.

Cromwell Promotions Group Chair Carolyn Murray says a man by the name of Tui Smith won, achieving a distance of 13.1 metres.

Ms Murray says Mr Smith is from Dunedin and joins in almost every year, so he takes it pretty seriously.