Airport with a difference

Wellington Airport really has something going for it with their special ‘Middle of the Middle-Earth’ structures.

They call this ‘the gateway to the coolest little capital in the world’ and it’s true – you don’t get much cooler than an airport inspired by Hollywood blockbuster Lord of the Rings. If you’re a Lord of the Rings or Hobbit fan you will love touching down at this airport. With the movies being filmed in New Zealand, it’s only fitting the airport is home to 3 massive installations inspired by the films.

See the 13 metre long Gollum fishing for trout, suspended high above the food court. It took 18 people to put Gollum together with huge blocks of polystyrene coated in a resin. How did they get him in the airport? He had to be created in 9 separate parts to fit him through the doors!

The sleeping Smaug is thought to be the last great dragon of middle earth. With a total length of 4.25 metres from nose to the back of his head, the 75% to scale Smaug has been developed to watch over passengers with his piercing yellow eyes.

Then the great eagles. Each eagle weighs around 1 tonne with a wingspan of 15 feet. Each has 1,000 feathers, which have been individually moulded, with the longest of them measuring 2.4 meters. Gandalf rides one of the eagles, bringing news to the Middle of Middle-Earth.

The statues were created by the team Weta Workshop in Wellington, who are also the group who put together the props and special effects for the movies. They are now vital pieces of infrastructure for both Wellington and New Zealand and the details in the structures are incredible.

For more information, visit the Wellington Airport’s website on: www.wellingtonairport.co.nz

For additional information about Wellington, visit: www.wellingtonnz.com/australia/

And the Tourism New Zealand website: www.newzealand.com