New Zealand is pulling all the stops for the upcoming Lord of The Rings film, 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.'
The country's capital, Wellington, will be renamed "The Middle of Middle Earth" during the film's premiere. The New Zealand Post has unveiled a Hobbit-inspired coin as part of their legal tender. Wellington's airport even added a massive Gollum sculpture to remind travellers that when it comes to the Lord of the Rings, New Zealand goes big.
Now the country's national airline, Air New Zealand, is adding another contribution: a Hobbit-themed Boeing 777 jet, emblazoned with a massive decal of an ad for the movie. The plane has yet to be unveiled but those who've seen it say it's of epic proportions.
"The hobbit imagery will cover the length of the 73m Boeing 777-300ER aircraft — the longest aircraft in our fleet — it will take six days and nearly 400 man-hours to install and at 830 sq m it's the largest ever graphic to be applied to an aircraft," said Mike Tod, a rep with Air New Zealand, in an interview with The West Australian .
According to the NBC News, the plane/massive, flying billboard will play a vital role in bringing in more visitors to New Zealand
“It puts us out there and creates more awareness. And it gives people more of a reason to actually select New Zealand to travel,” said Jodi Williams, head of international marketing for Air New Zealand.
Back in October, Air New Zealand released a promotional Hobbit-themed in-flight safety video, which has since gone viral.
'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' will hit theatres come Dec. 14 in Canada and on Nov. 28 in New Zealand.
Also on HuffPost
