Castle star Nathan Fillion visits Hobbiton ahead of Armageddon Expo

Canadian-American actor Nathan Fillion has been spotted in and around New Zealand ahead of this weekend's Armageddon Expo.

The 46-year-old, who plays Richard Castle on television series Castle, is in town for the popular event to be held at the ASB Showgrounds, in Greenlane, over Labour Weekend.

He enjoyed a day out with a few friends at the Hobbiton movie set - made famous by The Lord of The Rings films.

The group posed for photographs, later shared on social media, in front of the "Welcome to Hobbiton" sign and outside Bilbo Baggins' house.

The Castle star and his mates then travelled to Auckland where they enjoyed a meal at the Jervois Steak House, in Ponsonby.

General manager Matteo Mannoni admitted he did not recognise Fillion at first.

"Only the waiter did,'' he laughed.

Mannoni said the star was dressed casually and was not interrupted by other guests who might have recognised him from TV.

"He was very simple. He came in, stayed only like an hour-and-a-half, had a quick dinner and just left.

"He was with a couple of friends - there was no one outside.''

Mannoni said it was nice to have celebrities come through their doors now and again.

"Every now and then they come in, fortunately for us.''

Fillion joins a number of international actors and guest of pop culture to appear at this weekend's Armageddon Expo.

They include Doctor Who star John Barrowman, Walter Koenig of Star Trek and Babylon 5 fame, Enver Gjokaj who appears in Agent Carter and Dollhouse, Ricky Whittle of The 100 and Harry Potter's Tom Felton, who plays Draco Malfoy in the series.