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I don’t want to take anything away from these movies or locations, the movies are so much fun and the landscapes are often stunning, but there’s more than the Rings if you want to see a star-studded stage to see this vacation.
Here is a brief look at some other famous places. Lights Camera action! Let’s roll.
Raglan: For most of us, our summers end when our license runs out and we return to the office in the first weeks of January. But Waikato’s surfer’s paradise was made famous by the iconic 1966 Endless Summer surf doco. Head to Manu Beach to hunt down the “perfect wave.”
Hamilton: The local musical drama Narcissus was filmed in Hamilton, and our reviewer called it “a delightful game.” Their bittersweet love story had the soundtrack of hits like Crowded House, Bic Runga and Darcy Clay.
Taupo: Don’t blame us if your picnic basket gets lost while you admire the rapids of Aratiatia. The impressive stretch of the Waikato River was doubled for Jellystone Park, home of the ever-hungry and famous basket thief Yogi Bear, in his 2010 film. Dax Shepard and Seth Green also braved its waters in the 2004 comedy Without a Paddle.
Hawke’s Bay: Waipukurau was the setting for This Town, the amiable Kiwi character comedy with a questionably dark undertone that came out earlier this year. Robyn Malcolm and Rima Te Wiata were the stars and like them, you can enjoy a picnic at Oruawharo Homestead where a wedding scene was filmed.
Queenstown: So many movies have been filmed here that we could almost make a complete field guide based just on this incredibly picturesque city. But we won’t! Instead, we’re going to highlight Tom Cruise’s amazing, possibly insane, helicopter stunt flight that saw him, yes, Cruise himself, piloting a helicopter in 2018’s Mission Impossible: Fallout with a seat-grabbing speed and dazzling audacity. Gaze up at the sky in the area known as the “triangle” between Milford Sound, Queenstown and Lake Wanaka and marvel at his skill as a pilot.
Auckland: The calm waters of Waitawa Regional Park, approximately 50 minutes east of town, became the home of the 2016 nautical action film The Meg. That’s the case where action man Jason Statham hit a giant shark in the face. Recommended, obviously. During the summer, access to the gate is between 6:00 a.m. If you dare.
On a less deadly note, the lovely, leafy Waitākere Ranges provided a backdrop for Taika Waititi’s hunt for the wild people that same year.
Karekare: Jane Campion won two Oscars, Best Director and Best Screenplay, for The Piano, which she filmed on the beach.
Fiordland: In Milford Sound no one can hear you scream. No wait. It is a space where screams are not heard. But that didn’t stop acclaimed director Ridley Scott from filming 2017’s Alien: Covenant action horror here. A gentle stroll along Milford Sound beach will take you straight to the spot where the unfortunate crew’s spacecraft exploded off Miter Peak.
Thames: Netflix’s honeyed romantic comedy Falling Inn Love was filmed in, or should it be, Inn? – and around the Thames. Like the very hilarious Mega Time Squad, a kiwi indie hit, which has gained a cult following around the world.
Taranaki: Billy T. James’ classic 1985 comedy Came a Hot Friday was filmed in South Taranaki. The comedy mischief became one of the biggest local hits of the ’80s and featured Waverley Racecourse and Bridge to Nowhere.
Invercargill: Anthony Hopkins dressed up and walked away in the 2005 biopic The World’s Fastest Indian, which was filmed here. The movie, which is fantastic, is about local boy Burt Munro and his effort to break the land speed record.
Oamaru: Jane Campion returns to our guide with her upcoming movie The Power of the Dog, shot in the wonderful Victorian district of Ōamaru, home to New Zealand’s best-preserved Victorian buildings, and due out next year on Netflix. The movie saw its stars Kirsten Dunst and her husband Jesse Plemons spend time locked up here.
