The Hobbit's Smaug the Magnificent, the last of the great dragons in Middle Earth, now has a permanent home at Wellington Airport's terminal.
The dragon joins Gollum and the Great Eagles in welcoming visitors to the capital.
The 4m-plus sculpture was unveiled today in front of 200 Hobbit fans from overseas.
Weta Workshop's Sir Richard Taylor, who oversaw the project, said Smaug was the ultimate creation of author JRR Tolkien's imagination.
The third and final movie in the Hobbit trilogy is to be named The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Sir Peter Jackson has announced.
Newly released research suggests Hobbit themed marketing has significantly boosted visitor numbers , which in 2013 showed their biggest growth in more than a decade.
The second movie in The Hobbit trilogy was the biggest box-office hit in United States cinemas over Christmas.
The second instalment of the Hobbit trilogy has topped the United States box office but its opening sales there fell short of the first film's early takings.
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