Slide 1 of 6,

Until recently, Miramar, with its sleepy bungalow-lined streets, was like any other suburb of the New Zealand capital of Wellington. In 1993 the director Peter Jackson and his collaborators bought a commercial building in the neighborhood and established Weta Digital, a studio and special-effects facility. But it wasn’t until 1999, when Mr. Jackson started filming “Lord of the Rings,” that thousands of film industry people moved into the area to work on it and subsequent blockbusters, including “Tin Tin” and “Avatar.” Last March, 1,200 more overseas prop makers and computer-generated-imaging experts descended on Miramar to work on the “Rings” prequel “The Hobbit” (to open Dec. 14), and a new wave of bars, restaurants and shops have sprung up to cater to them.

— KIRSTEN MATTHEW

Pictured: Weta Cave, a magnet for “Lord of the Rings” fans.