The Hobbit - the middle of Middle-earth

One of the largest ever film projects, the three Hobbit films were captured over two and a half years.

Easy access to dramatic locations

While production was based in Wellington, director and producer Peter Jackson made the most of New Zealand's stunning landscapes and was shot on location throughout the country in late 2011.

Wellington's central location in the country made it the perfect production base for a film that was required to travel the length and breadth of the country in a very short timeframe.

World-leading technical know-how

Wellington's creative energy drives projects from pencil and paper to ground-breaking cinema.

The first movies ever to be filmed at 48 frames per second, the makers of The Hobbit trilogy used the latest camera and stereo technology. As many as 48 cameras were used in the film, which was shot in digital 3D.

The high-end infrastructure, technology and crew in Wellington made such an ambitious project possible.

What the stars had to say

The proximity and world class quality of the facilities in Miramar led director Guillermo del Toro to describe Wellington as "Hollywood the way God intended it."

Stephen Fry tweeted shortly after arrival for filming his role in The Hobbit trilogy that it was "just about the most astounding place I've ever, ever visited".

Meanwhile, Elijah Wood described filming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Wellington to BBC as a "family reunion". In another interview, he said "it feels like home".

James Cameron describes the effect that Peter Jackson has had on Wellington. "There's nothing else like it. A local film maker has really created a magnet for world production."