Middle Earth Mania

The country’s national tourism slogan “100% Pure New Zealand” has become “100% Middle-earth”, and in the days leading up to the premiere of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Wellington will be “renamed”, mayor Celia Wade-Brown has announced, as “Middle of Middle-earth”. The campaign, it is hoped, will be a shot in the arm for an industry that has seen growth in visitor numbers stall in recent years. “The Tolkien transformation has been absolutely extraordinary for our capital,” Wade-Brown says. “There will be short-term gains for the city, in tourism especially, but the big Wellington story is really one of technology and talent.”