It is on the Miramar Peninsula, directly east of the isthmus of Rongotai, the site of Wellington International Airport.

This lagoon covered much of the low-lying land on the peninsula; now this area is occupied by suburban houses, streets, parks and shops in the suburb of Miramar.

[9] Prior to World War II in 1936 the then government purchased an independent film company called Filmcraft in Darlington Rd, Miramar and set up a full body, government film production operation, to cover New Zealand's contribution in the war (and the 1940 Centennial celebrations).

[citation needed] Jackson and his colleagues Sir Richard Taylor (VFX) and Jamie Selkirk (Editor) have built a series of multi million-dollar studios, sound stages, and pre- and post-production facilities in Miramar that include Stone Street Studios, Park Road Post, Weta Digital, and Weta Workshop.

Jackson filmed the studio scenes of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong in Miramar.

Miramar has been hailed by Mexican film director Guillermo del Toro as "Hollywood the way God intended it".

[15] The Roxy Cinema building at the Miramar shopping centre in Park Road was built by local businessman Sidney Morrison, and opened as Capitol Theatre in January 1929.

[17][18] The façade was retained but the rest of the building was demolished and rebuilt as a two-screen movie theatre, opening in 2011.

The upstairs lobby features a large ceiling mural by Greg Broadmore of Weta Workshop, which was inspired by the film Metropolis.

[21] An Oscar won by Jamie Selkirk was on display in the theatre,[21] and a statue of Gandalf stands in front of the building.

[26] Year 7 and 8 students from Miramar typically attend Evans Bay Intermediate School in Kilbirnie.