Don’t be fooled into thinking New Zealand’s on-screen accolades stop at Middle-earth. The country’s incredible landscapes have been inspiring and enticing filmmakers for many years. While we wait for borders to reopen and leisure travel to resume, what better way to be transported to New Zealand but through a screen binge?
In no particular order, here are seven silver-screen hits that will make all film buffs want to visit this Oscar-worthy destination.
Falling Inn Love (2019)
You are sure to fall in love as this movie was shot entirely in New Zealand’s North Island. The filming of the fictional village of Beechwood Downs is a small and picturesque town called Thames, located at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula. The Tea Rose House mansion is a real bed & breakfast: Brunton House, located also in Thames. The beach shown in the movie is an awesome spot located very close to Auckland, on the West Coast of the Island.
Now streaming: Netflix
Sweet Tooth (2021)
This post-apocalyptic perilous adventure was filmed in Auckland and Waikato District on North Island and in Otago on South Island. There were multiple scenes shot at the Auckland Zoo, Auckland Botanical Gardens, and mountains around Glenorchy. The central theme of the series of ‘nature reclaiming the world’ fit perfectly well for a filming location like New Zealand where everything is lush, green, and mesmerising.
Now streaming: Netflix
Pete’s Dragon (2016)
Get a dragon’s eye view across the sweeping terrains of New Zealand in this tale of an unexpected friendship between a small boy and a dragon. Filmed mainly on both New Zealand’s North and South islands, where redwood forests and mountains generously pieced the perfect backdrop for the epic dragon flights in this movie.
The nest for Pete and Elliot’s hidden home is quietly tucked away at the Rotorua Redwood Forests, where exotic tree species thrive over the 5,600 hectares mix of lakes, walking tracks and trails. Millhaven, the fictional American Pacific Northwest logging town, was the creative product of one small Kiwi town, Tapanui, west of Otago, resting at the foot of the dramatic rugged overcast from the larger-than-life Blue Mountains standing at 1,019 metres tall.
Now streaming: Disney+ Hotstar
King Kong (2005)
No need to run your ship aground to find Skull Island – just head on to Wellington, New Zealand where most production of King Kong was based in. The iconic bustling of 1930s New York was stirred just 20 minutes from central Wellington, and the Broadway theatre from which King Kong makes his fatal and heart-wrenching fall was filmed in Wellington’s historic Opera House, a 100-year-old theatre is an architectural icon in the capital city.
Skull Island itself was located in a large-scale set built above Shelly Bay, on the Miramar peninsula, and was the site of a former air force base with long military history. The movie’s dinosaur run scene took place at Lyall Bay, Wellington’s most popular surf beach.
Now streaming: Netflix
The Chronicles of Narnia (2005)
Welcome to Paradise! Literally. Paradise is a magically serene rural locality near Queenstown only fitting for the fantastical realm of Narnia. The great battle in The Chronicles of Narnia was shot across the tortured rocks and dramatic tors of Flock Hill, west of Christchurch – that offers equally adventurous activities such as abseiling, rock climbing and canyoning, for those who can’t seem to transcend through the mystical wardrobe.
The Coromandel Peninsula – which lies east of Auckland and across the Hauraki Gulf – served as the settings for scenes in which the Pevensie children took their first steps back into Narnia. With a mountainous interior cloaked in native rainforest and more than 400 kilometres of dazzling white sand beaches, it is rustic, unspoiled, and relaxed.
Now streaming: Disney+ Hotstar
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016)
A sequel to the 2000 hit wuxia, Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that claimed best foreign language film at the Oscars back in 2001, this follow-up film takes on a western-style twist that packs the same punch as its predecessor.
Most of the action and fight scenes were filmed in and around Muriwai Regional Park, 60km stretch of rugged coastline speckled with spectacular black sand surf beaches. Michelle Yeoh, star of the show, testified to the beauty of the location saying that “New Zealand was the best choice because it brought us to the most beautiful place.”
Now streaming: Netflix
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
We revisit the picturesque Paradise of Queenstown again as this stunner of a place ceaselessly draw filmmakers from all walks of life. The remote cabin of Logan was built upon the peak of Deer Park Heights, on the peninsula just south of Queenstown.
Those with a keen eye would notice that the mountains overlooking it are The Remarkables at Otago, pulling together scenes that just works like a visual poetry. Beyond its scenic splendour, The Remarkables is known for its friendly atmosphere, high altitude, and north-facing sunny slopes, and is every ski enthusiast’s go-to spot.
Now streaming: Disney+ Hotstar