New Zealanders fete stars of Rings trilogy

NEW Zealand’s capital lived up to its ‘Wellywood’ nickname yesterday as thousands of fans lined streets to fete stars of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy ahead of the world premiere of the blockbuster final instalment.

The streets of Wellington were festooned with posters one of them eight storeys tall of characters from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Grandmothers in deck chairs, kids in character costumes and people clutching copies of JRR Tolkien's books were lined four-deep along streets that the movie's stars, such as Elijah Wood and Liv Tyler, were to walk along later today on their way to the premiere.

Fans from abroad have flocked to spots where the movies were filmed to gather the mood.