A giant eagle suspended from the ceiling at Wellington Airport with Gandalf on its back.ort. Photo: Mark Tantrum / supplied
Wellington Airport is about to have its wings clipped.
Its two giant eagle sculptures - each of which weighs more than a tonne - are to be packed away, and what will replace them is being kept under wraps.
"It's not unusual to see airborne departures from Wellington Airport, but in this case, it will be emotional for us," Wellington Airport chief executive Matt Clarke said.
"They have been a huge success and travellers from around the world have loved admiring them. After 12 years it's the right time for them to fly the nest."
The sculptures, made by Wētā Workshop, were installed in 2013 as a tie-in with Peter Jackson's The Hobbit movie trilogy.
The two 15m-wide eagles - and Gandalf, who is riding one of them - will be dismantled on Friday night and placed into storage. Their future however remains up in the air, with a decision yet to be made.
"We're working with Wētā Workshop on some exciting plans for a unique, locally themed replacement to take their place," Clarke said.
"We'll unveil what's next later this year, so keep watching the skies. By the end of the year the whole terminal is going to have a spectacular new look with the new multi-level hospitality venue open as well."
A giant eagle suspended from the ceiling at Wellington Airport. Photo: Mark Tantrum / supplied
Wētā co-founder and chief creative officer Richard Taylor said it was a bittersweet farewell.
"There are many more stories to be told, and we're looking forward to working with Wellington Airport on bringing a new chapter to life."
At Wellington Airport, a giant eagle sculpture came down. Photo: @KrisLeysen1 / Twitter
One of the eagles has come down before, falling to the ground during an earthquake in 2014. A WorkSafe investigation found it was probably due to shortcomings in the engineering process, including underestimating the bird's weight.
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