This week saw the world premiere of the long awaited 'The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey'. The star studded event was hosted by the 'coolest little capital in the world' - Wellington, of course.
The city was even renamed to "the Middle of Middle Earth" and thousands of fans from all over the world lined the streets with Hobbit ears, grey beards, wigs and wizard hats.
The Guardian wrote:
"New Zealand has claimed the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings as national treasures and emblems since Jackson started making the Oscar-winning movies, based on the epic fantasy books of JRR Tolkien, more than 12 years ago.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first film of the Hobbit trilogy, is set 60 years before the Lord of the Rings and was originally planned as two movies before it was decided there was enough material to justify a third."
"The films are also notable for being the first filmed at 48 frames per second, compared with the 24 frames that has been the industry standard since the 1920s.
The second film, The Desolation of Smaug, will be released in December 2013, with There and Back Again due in mid-July 2014."
The film will officially be released on 14 December 2012 - so book your cinema tickets now. More than 150 locations throughout New Zealand were used during the making of the film, so we are sure you will be inspired by the diversity and beauty of landscapes throughout NZ!
Read the full article or take a look at the picture gallery.