Tourism British Columbia vending machine pops up in San Francisco

The Moments Machine gave people in Justin Herman Plaza items such as surf boards and skis

Tourists and residents passing by a San Francisco plaza recently could experience a little bit of what B.C. has to offer.

Tourism British Columbia placed a massive one of a kind 14-foot tall vending machine in Justin Herman Plaza from May 17 to 19, but this was no normal vending machine. It didn't dispense chips or pop, but rather mountain bikes, kayaks and surfboards.

"We hope that the installation will allow us to show the people of San Francisco the diverse range of travel experiences they can find in British Columbia, and invite everyone to come and try them for themselves this summer," said Jacqueline Simpson, Marketing Manager, Consumer Programs, North America of Tourism BC in a statement.

The device, called the BC Moments Machine is part of the '100 BC Moments' Campaign, which is trying to encourage people to visit B.C. this summer and see what the province has to offer.

People walking in the plaza were encouraged to line up and select a 'Great B.C. Moment'. The participant then received the free gift, which also included travel books, skis and native art.

It's unclear how much tax money went toward this vending machine, but Tourism BC is a part of the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation and works to bring in billions of tourism dollars each year to the province.

This isn't the first time Tourism BC has had an event in Justin Herman Plaza. In 2010, they installed an urban zip line across the plaza that was a huge success.

If you think getting a kayak out of a vending machine seems strange, vending machines have also been seen to carry live lobster, live bait, nail polish, piping hot personal pizzas and anger management.

We're not sure if the machine in San Francisco was dispensing umbrellas, but that would be appropriate for a trip to Vancouver.

(Business Wire image)