Filming in paradise

A film set for Netflix’s East of Eden lies at Hills Creek, near the Oteake Conservation Park, in the Maniototo.

The seven-episode limited series is based on the 1952 John Steinbeck novel of the same name and boasts a cast including Hollywood actors Florence Pugh, Martha Plimpton, Christopher Abbott and Irish actor Ciaran Hinds.

Filming in Oamaru began earlier this month after about a month of pre-production, while other areas make use of the landscape that also featured in Jane Campion’s Bafta-winning Western drama The Power of the Dog, which began filming in the Maniototo in 2020 and was released in 2021.