Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe visited the Hobbiton Village in New Zealand, used to film the 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' movies.

The Hobbiton set and farm which is visited by thousands of people from around the world is situated in Hamilton – Waikato in New Zealand, Wickremesinghe said on Facebook, describing his trip.

General Manager Russell Alexander and International Sales Manager Henry Horne of the Hobbiton Movie Set Tours welcomed the Sri Lankan delegation.

Peter Jackson – New Zealand Film Director, discovered the ‘Alexander Farm’ – a traditional animal farm – during an aerial search of the North Island for the best possible locations for the filming of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ film trilogy, Wickremesinghe said.

Thereafter, the farm underwent many changes to meet the Director’s expectations for the filming. The New Zealand Government focused special attention on this project, and agreed to deploy the New Zealand Army in order to build roadways leading to the site location, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister added.

He said that his team spent over an hour touring this set in order to better understand the tactics and maintenance used to sustain public attractions to its maximum potential.