New Zealand waits for Rings party

Jackson's next project is a remake of King Kong

New Zealand are holding off their celebrations in the wake of The Lord of the Rings Oscar triumph until director Peter Jackson returns home from the US.

"Any decision about the form of the tribute should involve Peter," said Wellington mayor Kerry Prendergast.

"This is of huge importance to Wellington, so our emphasis will be on getting it right, not getting it quickly," she said.

The last instalment of the New Zealand-made trilogy won 11 Oscars last month.

The epic fantasy The Return of the King made Oscar history by cleaning up in every categories it was nominated for, including best film.

"It was a complete surprise in terms of the sweep," Jackson said.

"I thought we'd win something obviously because with 11 nominations it would be a bit of a bummer if we didn't win anything - but not a sweep the way we did it," he told the BBC's Tom Brook.

The Rings visual effects crew celebrated their Oscar win in Wellington

Jackson is a hero in his native land after his success in persuading Hollywood backers New Line Cinema to film the £210m project in New Zealand.

Jackson was adamant. "New Zealand is the best country in the world to shoot this film, because of the variety of locations we have."

The beauty of New Zealand was not the only inducement, though. There was also the prospect of better value for money than the US could offer.

In particular, Jackson's custom-built studio in New Zealand capital Wellington, Weta Studios, created the hundreds of computer-generated special effects at a fraction of Hollywood costs.

Filming the trilogy also created an economic boom for Wellington.