Back in 2009, the blokes on the board of Wellington International Airport decided to build a sign on a patch of hillside on the Miramar peninsula that the airport happens to own.
In March 2010 the world became aware that the sign was going to read WELLYWOOD. The backlash began, making headlines in California, Britain and India.
Wellingtonians were generally aghast (the general reaction is TACKY, TACKY, TACKY) and it could have been a prime reason for getting rid of the supportive mayor. A Green mayor was voted in. She hates it, too, but apparently has no clout, because the airport announced on Friday that it will build the sign in time for the dreaded Rugby World Cup in September.
And the expression of public horror has gone viral. TheOneRing.net ("serving the Middle Earth Since the First Age") is appalled. Twitter comments have been tweeted and retweeted. Several Facebook pages have been set up, one of which, Wellingtonians Against ... had received 7,500 applauding visits within hours of launch on Friday. At the latest reckoning, it has well over 13,000 likes.
Others vent their feelings in humor...
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