From the Edinburgh of the South to the silver screen, Ōtepoti Dunedin is a city full of cinematic vistas: Victorian streets and grand heritage buildings give way to dramatic, windswept coastlines.
Over the years, filmmakers from around the world have discovered Dunedin’s remarkable ability to become different places, periods and worlds, transforming the city and its surrounds into settings for international productions ranging from horror to The Hobbit.
Follow in the footsteps of your favourite movie characters, recreate memorable scenes where they were filmed, and discover a little more of Dunedin along the way.
EAST OF EDEN / NETFLIX (2026)
East of Eden is a classic American story about family, rivalry, love and betrayal in California.
The city’s Victorian and Edwardian architecture provided the backdrop for scenes set in the early 20th century, with period storefronts, horse-drawn carriages and other historic details recreating the streets and town squares of California’s Salinas Valley.
Key locations for filming included Queens Gardens, Stuart Street between Cumberland and Castle Streets, and Princes Street between Manse and Rattray Streets. While you’re there, explore the area’s heritage buildings, vibrant street art and eclectic café scene.
THE POWER OF THE DOG / NETFLIX (2021)
A 1920s Montana ranch becomes the setting for a tense psychological Western when charismatic rancher Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) clashes with his brother’s new wife and her son, unravelling hidden tensions and unexpected bonds.
The iconic Dunedin Railway Station doubled as a frontier railroad in the scene where George Burbank (Jesse Plemons) picks up his parents (timecode: 0:52:30–0:52:41). You can stand in the same spot before boarding the Taieri Gorge train.
While much of The Power of the Dog was filmed across Otago, Dunedin Railway Station provided one of its most recognisable heritage backdrops. Its grand Flemish Renaissance architecture needed little help to evoke 1920s America.
THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS (2016)
After rescuing an infant adrift at sea, a lighthouse keeper and his wife raise the child as their own, only to face devastating moral consequences when the baby’s biological mother appears years later.
Picturesque Port Chalmers stood in for scenes depicting the fictional town of Partageuse, with its streets dressed to recreate the post–World War I era. The character of Hannah Roenfeldt (Rachel Weisz) enters a bookshop containing copies of Das Stunden-Buch by Rainer Maria Rilke. She walks away and stops in front of 6 Grey Street where she hands a copy to a passer-by (timecode: 1:06:10 to 1:07:04).
The elegant interiors of Fletcher House, one of Dunedin’s best-preserved Edwardian homes, doubled as the Harbourmaster’s lodging in The Light Between Oceans. The exterior, lounge and dining room feature early in the film when Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) arrives in Partageuse and meets Isabel Graysmark (Alicia Vikander) (timecode: 0:04:45–0:07:24). Fletcher House is open weekends and public holidays, with visits by guided tour.
St. Barnabas Church in Warrington, built in 1872, appears in a lengthy sequence in which Lucy, the daughter of Tom and Isabel, is christened. While everyone gathers outside the church, Tom sees Hannah in the cemetery, where she mourns her husband and child lost at sea (timecode: 0:57:01 to 0:59:46). The grounds are open to the public, but entry to the church must be arranged in advance.
THE ROYAL TREATMENT / NETFLIX (2022)
A Manhattan hairdresser (Laura Marano) unexpectedly gets to style the wedding of a charming prince (Mena Massoud) and finds herself caught between romance and royal duty in this light-hearted romantic comedy.
Two of Dunedin’s most iconic heritage homes played starring roles in this chart-topping Netflix production. Larnach Castle on the Otago Peninsula doubled as the royal residence of Lavania, the film’s fictional kingdom, while the beautifully preserved rooms of Olveston Historic Home provided additional interiors. The ornate Fable Dunedin hotel and the University of Otago’s historic quadrangle also make appearances throughout the film.
Inner-city Vogel Street doubled as the Brooklyn street where main character Izzy works in her family’s hairdressing shop. The street location features prominently at the very start of the movie (timecode: 0:00:20 to 0:01:37).
UPROAR (2023)
Uproar is a coming-of-age comedy-drama set in Dunedin during the contentious 1981 Springbok rugby tour. Seventeen-year-old Josh Waaka (Julian Dennison), caught between family expectations and societal tensions, finds his voice through activism and performance while reconnecting with his whānau and Māori heritage amidst nationwide protest.
Dunedin is a character in its own right in this New Zealand feature film, with scenes shot across many of the city’s streets, neighbourhoods and coastline.
The Glencairn Steps feature as Josh and his mum Shirley (Minnie Driver) distribute newspapers (timecode: 0:03:51–0:04:17), while the corner of Bond and Jetty Streets provides the setting for the main protest scene (timecode: 0:50:11). Further out, Smails Beach Lookout on Tomahawk Road is where Josh and Shirley take a drive to the coast and talk about his late father and the impact of his death on their lives (timecode: 1:26:30–1:29:30).
MĀRAMA (2026)
In Mārama, a young Māori woman (Ariana Osborne) travels to 1859 North Yorkshire, England, to uncover the truth about her parents and her identity. Over the course of her journey, she evolves from a passive observer into a resilient figure fighting for her freedom.
The Otago Peninsula serves as a dramatic backdrop in the film’s opening sequence, where Mary Stevens/Mārama arrives by horse-drawn carriage and continues on foot along the clifftops and Hooper’s Inlet to reach Thomas Burns’ cottage. Much of the opening sequence was filmed at the spectacular Highcliff Track Lookout, accessible on foot from the car park at the end of McMeeking Road.
Wander the nearby Sandymount Recreation Reserve, a scenic area with panoramic views over the dramatic Allans Beach and its distinctive tree tunnel, which featured in the music video for Pink Frost by Dunedin band The Chills.
THE HOBBIT (2013)
The Hobbit trilogy follows hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he is swept from his quiet life into a perilous quest across Middle-earth that grows into a battle over the realm’s fate.
Filming for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug took place on the rugged, windswept Rock and Pillar Range. Scenes shot here show Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and their dwarven companions travelling from Laketown towards the Lonely Mountain and their confrontation with Smaug (extended edition timecode: 1:48:56 to 1:50:28). In The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, the dwarves Kíli, Fíli, Óin, and Bofur, who remained in Laketown, travel across the same landscape to rejoin the rest of the company.
The filming location lies on Department of Conservation land and is accessible to the public, but reaching it requires a challenging alpine hike with 1,000 metres of ascent and exposure to rapidly changing conditions. The best approach is to walk up to Big Hut via Glencreag Track near Middlemarch on day one and stay overnight. The next morning, continue the remaining three kilometres along Rock and Pillar Ridge Road to the filming location. Coordinates: 45.45836° S / 170.05157° E.