Wellington

True fans believe that rugby is art, so it's no surprise to find that the game has also inspired some significant new art installations for Rugby World Cup 2011.

New Zealand has once again transformed into Middle-earth as Kiwi film-maker Peter Jackson puts the spotlight on 'The Hobbit' - one of the biggest movies ever to be made down-under.

It's official ... Manukura, the first white kiwi chick hatched in captivity in New Zealand, is a girl.

Sirocco, the rare New Zealand kākāpo parrot whose frisky behaviour with a BBC television crew propelled him to global stardom, will make some cameo appearances during Rugby World Cup.

Whale watching is a year round pastime in New Zealand but come winter, the popular activity takes on a more serious role, and this year a busy migration period is providing valuable data as well as entertainment.

Rugby World Cup 2011 will be a chance to experience and relive New Zealand’s rich rugby heritage with a series of REAL New Zealand Festival nostalgic exhibitions and events surrounding the tournament.

The 'coolest little capital in the world' is proving that it’s also New Zealand’s hottest in the kitchen with the biggest-ever ‘Wellington on a Plate’ festival.

‘Happy Feet’ – the Antarctic emperor penguin that made New Zealand visitor arrival history by finding its way to a North Island beach – continues its fight for life under the watchful eye of Kiwi medics and conservation experts.

Classic Kiwi icons will get the WOW treatment when the wonderfully quirky World of WearableArt Awards Show steps out in Wellington for the 2011 season.

With 85,000 international visitors in the country, Rugby World Cup will showcase New Zealand to a global audience of discerning travellers – and, away from the rugby field, it’s Kiwi food and wine that’s likely to attract the most sustained interest.