RINGS STARS COME OUT TO PLAY

As the stars arrived for The Lord Of The Rings premiere in Wellington, the rain threatened. But, as Cameron Officer reports, it was going to take a lot more than a deluge to dampen the spirits of the crowds gathered.

Like a brooding Tolkien-esque nature deity itself, the heavy grey skies above Wellington behaved as we the media, and it seemed half of Wellington, assembled along the cafe and bar lined frontage of Courtney Place in the central city outside the newly refurbished (and just finished in the nick of time) Embassy Theatre.

There were people everywhere and they had two things in common - they were here to have some fun and they were here to see some celebs. And what a veritable big and small-screen smorgasbord they soon found themselves lining up for.

There were stars everywhere, all walking the 'red mile' into the foyer of the Embassy, overseen by an enormous cave troll - a very physical reminder of the epic proportions of the film they were about to watch, as well as a jaw-dropping example of some of the sculpture work taken on and achieved by WETA Studios.

With The Muttonbirds playing in the background (and quite a good 'single heavy' mini gig it was too) some of the local celebrities began to arrive, discreetly joining the red carpet at the 'tradesmen's entrance' - a little side addition to the main drag which joined it near the media pits, thus shepherding the local stars past most of the public.

Miranda Harcourt was seen, as was Ian Mune. Havoc and Newsboy soon had the pre-16s screaming (something not usually accompanying a local television star - what was going on people?), while others quietly slipped in with barely a nod from the assembled press, let alone any outburst from the crowds pouring from every office window and upper story balcony surrounding the theatre.

Soon host Jay Laga'aia was getting the massive crowds to 'raise the roof' and 'make some noise', to which the obviously proud throngs responded wholeheartedly.

And then the big names arrived. Hugo Weaving brought the whole family, his small children snuggling in close to Dad in the face of the biting wind coming in off the Cook Straight. Orlando Bloom, resplendent in his 'Saville Row dumpster' ensemble of ruffled shirt and neckerchief, topped off with a stylish Fran Healy mini-mohawk was jauntily delighted by what he saw before him. As he said on stage "This is the real premiere. this is the big one!"

Little Elijah Wood, with piercing blue eyes and fluffy stubble upon his chin, was the firm crowd favourite, and he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely, until Wellington's favourite son came sauntering down the carpet in true laid back style. Peter Jackson got the warmest of receptions as the returning hero.

With official speeches by Helen Clark (NZ Prime Minister) and cast and crew over, the stars went in to watch something they should all be proud of. And Wellington should be proud too - grey clouds don't matter one bit when you're basking in the happy glow of success.

HOBBIT MANIA GRIPS CAPITAL

Fans and movie stars alike have been left awestruck after the Australasian premiere in Wellington of the first film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

About 20,000 fans braved cool and blustery weather in the capital on Wednesday night to join in a massive street party marking the occasion. The warm welcome left stars like English actor Orlando Bloom, who plays the elf warrior Legolas, saying he felt like he had come home.

But the crowd reserved the biggest cheer of the night for director and hometown hero Peter Jackson.

Jackson said while The Fellowship of the Ring has already had showings in London and the United States, he considers Wellington to be its real premiere.

"It's great to see the old home town turn out like this," he said.

Prime Minister Helen Clark was among the dignitaries, celebrities and stars who took part in the film's local premiere that included a dazzling array of street entertainers.

American actor Elijah Wood, who stars as the hobbit Frodo, was cheered at every step by excited fans and said it was "by far" the biggest premiere he'd attended.

"London was huge and bigger than anything I'd ever seen before,"he said.

"This is unbelievable. Leave it to New Zealand. This proves that the heart of this film lies in New Zealand, and it's a very special thing."

Asked whether he was sick of seeing his image everywhere on promotional posters and media advertisements, Wood said he was so used to seeing it that it didn't bother him anymore.

"It's exciting though, it's a continual story so I'm actually very excited to see how it's going to progress and to see how people respond to it," he said.

Australian actor Hugo Weaving, who plays the elf Elrond in the film, also said it was the biggest red carpet event he had attended during his career.

"This is extraordinary," he said.

"The whole town stops, the whole country stops, you feel like royalty, you get met by the prime minister."

Another of the film's Australian stars, Cate Blanchett, was unable to attend the night's celebrations, after giving birth to a baby boy, Dashiel.

Wellington city renamed itself Middle Earth this week to celebrate the film's launch, and The Wellington Post newspaper temporarily renamed itself The Middle Earth Post.

The city hosted the filming of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy,shot at nearby locations over 15 months on a budget of about $710 million.

The film was a major boost to the local movie industry, with a cast of 2,300 and an additional 15,000 hired extras.