The Wellington region of New Zealand added to its world renown when it became the source of (and much of the outdoor location for) the LOTR series of movies at the start of the 21st century.
Promoter Peter Jackson started making movies at his birthplace, Pukerua Bay, a northern suburb of Porirua City midway along the region's west coast.
His work on LOTR was mostly done in the eastern parts of Wellington City (which is at the south-west corner of the region), notably at Weta Workshop in Miramar, and he persuaded his backers to stage the premiere of the third film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, in the entertainment heart of that city in 2003.
Here is also the filming location of Lake-town and Bree in The Hobbit trilogy.
Exhibition
From April to August 2006, New Zealand's National Museum ("Te Papa") is hosting a revamped LOTR exhibition, including a 1:72 scale model of Minas Tirith.