Travellers go to New Zealand in search of Middle Earth

According to figures released Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, tourism has overtaken dairy as the nation's top earner of overseas dollars. And tourism officials say the success of the fantasy movie trilogy The Hobbit has helped. Here, English actor Ian McKellen poses as Gandalf in Peter Jackson's new movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. (AFP)

Updated on: Oct 29, 2016 8:37 AM IST

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According to figures released Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, tourism has overtaken dairy as the nation's top earner of overseas dollars. And tourism officials say the success of the fantasy movie trilogy The Hobbit has helped. Here, English actor Ian McKellen poses as Gandalf in Peter Jackson's new movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. (AFP)

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Tourists take photos during a tour of the Hobbit movie set near Matamata, New Zealand. In New Zealand there are twice as many cows as people, but it's the hobbits that are really making hay. According to figures released Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, tourism has overtaken dairy as the nation's top earner of overseas dollars. And tourism officials say the success of the fantasy movie trilogy The Hobbit has helped. (AP)

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In this file photo, tourists who have taken a helicopter trip onto the Fox Glacier follow a guide in New Zealand. (AP)

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In this photo, tourists tour the Hobbit movie set near Matamata, New Zealand. (AP)

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Cows stand in a pen before they are milked on a dairy farm near Carterton, New Zealand. In New Zealand there are twice as many cows as people, but it’s the hobbits that are really making hay. According to figures released Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, tourism has overtaken dairy as the nation’s top earner of overseas dollars. And tourism officials say the success of the fantasy movie trilogy The Hobbit has helped. (AP)

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A photo of the Hobbiton set in New Zealand shows Bilbo Baggins’ home. (Wikipedia)

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The house in which Bilbo Baggins began his epic journey in Hobbiton. (Wikipedia)

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The Hobbiton set in New Zealand is a popular tourist destination, contributing to the New Zealand tourism industry’s growth.

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The bridge at the Hobbiton set of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit series. (Wikipedia)

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Director Peter Jackson walks out onto the stage during the world premiere of The Hobbit movie in Courtenay Place in Wellington on November 28, 2012. Huge crowds swarmed into central Wellington on November 28 for the world premiere of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, an event that has sparked Middle Earth mania in New Zealand. (AFP)

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Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. (AFP)