Landscapes & nature
South Island
one of the two main New Zealand islands
New Zealand · -43.6000, 170.4000
South Island is named as a filming location in the Wikipedia articles of 18 productions, in the section each entry below links back to. No Wikidata filming statement points here yet, so this page says plainly which kind of evidence it rests on.
“For example, the Arrow River, in the Otago region of South Island, stood in for the Ford of Bruinen, where Arwen confronts the nine Nazgûl.”
Filmed here, per Wikipedia
Productions whose English Wikipedia article names South Island as somewhere it was shot, with no matching statement on Wikidata. Weaker evidence than a Wikidata statement, and labelled as what it is, each production’s own page links the exact section the claim comes from.
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2001
- Thor: Ragnarok 2017
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 2013
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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
2005
“The cast and crew spent their time in New Zealand in Auckland before moving in November to the South Island.” Wikipedia
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2009
-
10,000 BC
2008
“Location filming also took place in southern New Zealand and Thailand.” Wikipedia
- The Power of the Dog 2021
- Heavenly Creatures 1994
- The Frighteners 1996
- A Wrinkle in Time 2018
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Walking with Dinosaurs
1999–
“Filming took several weeks and locations included the Labyrinth in Tasmania, the beech gap in the South Island of New Zealand, the redwood forests of California, the araucaria forests in New Caledonia and southern Chile, and the Bahamas.” Wikipedia
- Wolf Man 2025
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Walking with Dinosaurs
2013
“Additional filming also took place on South Island of New Zealand.” Wikipedia
- Slow West 2015
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Top of the Lake
2013–2017
“Filming took 18 weeks and was shot entirely on location in Queenstown and Glenorchy, in Otago, on the South Island of New Zealand.” Wikipedia
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East of Eden
2026–
“Filming locations are reported to include Auckland, Dunedin and Oamaru in the South Island.” Wikipedia
- Battletruck 1982
- Goodbye Pork Pie 1980
Filming locations nearby
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Landscapes & nature
Aoraki / Mount Cook
New Zealand·21 km west
mountain in the Southern Alps of New Zealand
-
Landscapes & nature
Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park
New Zealand·28 km south-west
national park in New Zealand
-
Landscapes & nature
Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana
New Zealand·32 km north-east
mountain range on the South Island in New Zealand
-
Landscapes & nature
Black Mountain Range
New Zealand·32 km east
mountain range in New Zealand
-
Landscapes & nature
Lake Tekapo
New Zealand·35 km south
lake in New Zealand
Frequently asked questions
What was filmed at South Island?
18 productions are recorded as filmed at South Island, including The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013). 18 of the credits come from Wikipedia articles rather than Wikidata statements and are labelled per Wikipedia.
Which is the best known production filmed at South Island?
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), covered by 97 Wikipedia language editions, which is how this atlas ranks fame.
Where is South Island?
South Island is in New Zealand. Its coordinates are -43.6000, 170.4000.
What other filming locations are near South Island?
Aoraki / Mount Cook (21 km west), Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park (28 km south-west), Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana (32 km north-east), Black Mountain Range (32 km east) and 1 more, all within 40 km and listed on this page with photographs.
Where does this information come from?
Filming location statements on Wikidata, joined to the place's coordinates and Wikipedia article, plus places named in Wikipedia articles, which are labelled per Wikipedia wherever they appear. The photograph is from Wikimedia Commons, by Ulrich.hoecker, CC BY 3.0.