Middle Earth at Te Papa

A $2 million exhibition celebrating Middle Earth will open at the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa, a day after the second instalment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy has its premiere in Wellington.

The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition has been developed during the past two years by the museum, the film's producers New Line and Wellington production company Story Inc using original material from the three films, the Dominion Post reports.

It opens on December 19. After its 10-week season at Te Papa, it will be shown at London's Science Museum, the science museums in Boston and Singapore, and the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.

The exhibition would be big on interactive components, museum spokesman Paul Brewer said. Visitors would experience some of the film's special effects wizardry, as well as getting up close to props, costumes and computer and mechanical interactives. Interviews with the cast and director Peter Jackson also feature.

- NZPA