Lord of the Rings costumes displayed in Wellington for 20 year anniversary

Costumes from Sir Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings will displayed across Wellington as the city celebrates the 20-year anniversary of the films.

The costume trail also features props, armoury and weapons created by Wētā Workshop.

They will be displayed at eight locations including the Wellington i-Site, Cable Car and The Roxy cinema.

Wētā Workshop co-owner and creative director Richard Taylor said it was a chance for people to see the creativity and detail of a selection of armour and weapons produced for the trilogy of films.

“It’s a thrill to be sharing these historical artefacts from these much-loved films around the city of Wellington.

“The last time we displayed them in this way was as part of the exhibition at Te Papa in 2003. The 20-year anniversary feels like a great reason to do it again.”

The Journey to Middle-earth trail will run from February until the end of March.

Wētā Workshop co-owner and creative director Richard Taylor said he remembered the time he spent on the films with immense fondness. Photo / Supplied

Wellington NZ event and experiences general manager Warrick Dent said The Lord of the Rings trilogy put Wellington on the global stage.

“Celebrating that by putting these precious costumes on display is a fantastic way for Lord of the Rings fans and the curious to soak up a vital piece of Wellington’s screen history.

“In our Covid-impacted world, it provides a bit of fun for people who plan to see all of the costumes across the city or for those who simply stumble across them in their travels.”

Taylor said it was their hope that each costume, whether it be on a hero actor in the foreground or an Orc acting in deep background, would possess a sense of detail and realism as if the characters had just stepped out of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world.

“Thankfully Tolkien wrote intricate descriptions of the armour, weaponry, and attire for many of his characters, which gave us the most wonderful of guides to go by.”

Taylor remembered the time he spent on the films with “immense fondness”.

“Like all involved, across a multitude of departments, we worked with complete dedication on these films; where we learned new skills and techniques, growing the expertise within the Workshop, determined to do justice to one of the greatest literary works ever written and meet Peter’s [Sir Peter Jackson] vision for these films.”