Impressive, is it not? Gollum art to celebrate the next month’s premiere of ‘The Hobbit’.

If you haven’t heard, Wellington is fast becoming the capital of cool.

Lonely Planet not so long ago rated Wellington as the best/coolest little capital city on the planet. So it would be quite fitting that it has an airport that bedazzles travellers as they visit, would it not?.

Most airports have settled for being simple plain-Jane transport hubs, but Wellington Airport has made a conscious decision to stand out from the pack. The airport has previously capitalised on the Lord of the Rings craze and more recently has adopted some impressive creative for the looming The Hobbit movie release. Air New Zealand has even jumped into the Hobbit buzz – some of its aircraft are painted in a unique Middle Earth livery.

But Wellington Airport hasn’t always been the epitome of trendy awesomeness. In the 80′s, it was affectionately known as the ‘Tin Shed’ – my memories of the airport in the 80′s were of dark narrow hallways which were dingy, drafty and hideously cold. The airport we know and love in 2012 didn’t really take form until the late 90′s when investment from the private sector kicked in. And here we are today with an award winning, world renowned airport that Wellingtonian’s should be proud of.

What do you think? Is this the funkiest airport in the world?

Not an ordinary departure hall

Unique futuristic design

Photo credit: eriagn