Waikato

Sir Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, is itching to revisit Middle Earth after reading the script for the first of ‘The Hobbit’ films.

One of the New Zealand’s best known rugby players, Sir Colin Meads, will receive his second major honour for 2009 when he’s capped at a special ceremony in Hamilton tomorrow night.

The ubiquitous iPod might be a familiar sight on the street these days, but in New Zealand the digital music players are being used in remote native forests to train rare birds.

Work on New Zealand’s national cycleway network is to get a ‘quick start’ this summer at several locations throughout the country.

Hobbit holes and hedgerows have appeared on one of New Zealand’s most celebrated farms as work begins on rebuilding Hobbiton for filming the 'The Hobbit' movies.

‘Hobbit’ hype is gathering international momentum as Tolkien fans again focus on Middle Earth and New Zealand’s role in the making of the much-awaited Lord of the Rings’ prequel.

Māori New Year celebrations launched in New Zealand at the weekend with a hugely successful gourmet hangi that tickled traditional taste buds, and may have changed attitudes towards the customary Māori feast forever.

Hamilton's city streets, in the heart of New Zealand’s largest dairy producing region, will reverberate to the sound of high performance engines when the New Zealand round of the Australian V8 Supercar championships roars into life this weekend.

Eight New Zealand conservation projects have been named among the top ecological projects in Australasia after an 18-month search by an expert panel.

A giant gourmet hangi, created by Kiwi celebrity chef Peter Gordon, will launch New Zealand’s 2009 celebrations for Matariki or Māori New Year.