November 2012

The worldwide premiere for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is just minutes away and New Zealand's capital city Wellington has been rushing to complete it's transformation to make it feel homely for folk with hairy feet and pointy ears. Yesterday stars jetted in for the long-awaited first movie of the Hobbit trilogy. Wellington, where much of the post production has been done, has renamed itself "the Middle of Middle Earth". Fans have had costume parties and Wellington city workers have laid a 500 m (550 yards) red carpet.

The sheer size of Australia means there is a wide variation in climate. These range from a ‘wet’ and a ‘dry’ season in the tropical north, an area that is also prone to cyclones to the outback ‘the Red Centre’ that experiences blistering temperatures with severe droughts.  At the same time down south in Tasmania, an icy breeze from the Antarctica can prevail – So planning your holiday is essential.