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Productions filmed in the Bay of Plenty

We are proud to present a gallery of successful international and local productions that have chosen Bay of Plenty as a filming destination.

International productions

Kannappa poster

Predator Badlands (2025)

A young Predator outcast from his clan finds an unlikely ally on his journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
20th Century Studios’ Predator: Badlands brought a major international production to the Bay of Plenty, with filming taking place at Haumarana near Rotorua. The location was used for a key bison sequence, taking advantage of the area’s Californian Redwoods and stunning scenery. Over a two-week period, the production utilised local accommodation, suppliers, services and infrastructure, contributing to the regional screen economy while showcasing another unique Bay of Plenty location on the global stage.

Show

Feature Film | $105 Million

Filming Locations

Rotorua District

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Kannappa poster

Kannappa (2024)

Kannappa is an action-packed Telugu film directed by Mukesh Kumar Singh and produced by veteran filmmaker Mohan Babu. Inspired by the legendary story of Kannappa, a devoted follower of the Hindu god Shiva, the film stars Vishnu Manchu in the lead role, bringing this celebrated myth to life on screen.

Kannappa brought a major international production to the Bay of Plenty, with more than 200 cast and crew spending three months filming across Rotorua, Whakatāne, Kawerau, Western Bay of Plenty and the wider region. Film Bay of Plenty supported the production with location scouting, local infrastructure connections and crew sourcing, helping bring this epic retelling of the legendary tale of Kannappa to the screen.
The film has further showcased the Bay of Plenty’s world-class locations and growing reputation as a destination for large-scale international productions.

This collaboration highlights both the global appeal of Telugu cinema and the Bay of Plentys’ reputation as a prime location for epic storytelling.

Film tourism tip: Fans can discover and visit several filming locations from Kannappa through the SetJetters app, bringing the movie magic to life in the real world.

Show

Feature Film | $15 Million

Filming Locations

Rotorua District
Western Bay of Plenty District
Kawerau District
Whakatāne District

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Visit Setjetters
productions filmed in bay of plenty prehistoric planet

The Rule of Jenny Pen (2024)

The Rule of Jenny Pen tells the gripping tale of an ailing judge trapped in an aged care facility, where he uncovers a sinister plot orchestrated by an elderly tyrant using a child’s puppet. As tragic “accidents” plague the rest home community and his health deteriorates, the judge is left with no choice but to seek justice on his own terms.
Directed by James Ashcroft, this psychological thriller is set to captivate audiences when it releases in Aotearoa in 2025. Notably, Stephen King has hailed it as one of the best films he has seen this year!

We extend our congratulations to director James Ashcroft, producers Catherine Fitzgerald and Orlando Stewart, and an exceptional cast led by John Lithgow, Geoffrey Rush, and George Henare. We’re proud to have been part of this extraordinary production and look forward to its release in Aotearoa.

Show

Feature Film | $7 Million

Filming Locations

Taupō

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productions filmed in bay of plenty prehistoric planet

Prehistoric Planet (2020)

Travel back 66 million years to when majestic dinosaurs and extraordinary creatures roamed the lands, seas and skies. Starring David Attenborough.

Film Bay of Plenty assisted in locating the NZ location which was specific in needing ferns backed by tall ancient trees. Whirinaki was the perfect place with Kawerau District Council, DOC and local Iwi all assisting in allowing the production to film in this amazing area.

Prehistoric Planet is a British-American five-part nature documentary streaming television series about dinosaurs that premiered on Apple TV+ beginning May 23, 2022.

It is produced by the BBC Studios Natural History Unit with Jon Favreau as showrunner, visual effects by MPC, and narration by natural historian David Attenborough.

Show

TV Mini Series

Filming Locations

Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park

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productions filmed in bay of plenty mulan

Mulan (2019)

A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father.
Mulan was one of the most expensive productions ever made and was filmed in NZ. According to Condé Nast Traveler, the scene where Mulan meets the powerful witch, Xian Lang, was filmed on a soundstage. However, this geothermal sulphuric landscape used plate shots from Whakaari / White Island.

Studio & Budget

Walt Disney | $200 Million

Filming Locations

White Island (Whakaari)

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productions filmed in bay of plenty Petes dragon

Pete’s Dragon (2016)

The adventures of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliott, who happens to be a dragon.
Disney’s Pete’s Dragon transformed locations across the Central North Island into the forests of the American Pacific Northwest. The towering Californian Redwoods near Rotorua and Tokoroa provided the perfect backdrop for the film’s enchanting woodland scenes, while additional filming took place in Ngongotahā and at McLaren Falls Park. Cast and crew were largely based in Rotorua throughout production, bringing significant activity to the region during the shoot.

Film tourism tip: Fans can discover and visit several filming locations from Pete’s Dragon through the SetJetters app, bringing the movie magic to life in the real world.

Studio & Budget

Walt Disney | $65 Million

Filming Locations

Whakarewarewa Forest – The Redwoods
McLaren Falls
Ngongotahā

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productions filmed in bay of plenty yogi bear

Yogi Bear (2010)

A documentary filmmaker travels to Jellystone Park to shoot a project and soon crosses paths with Yogi Bear, his sidekick Boo-Boo and Ranger Smith.
Warner Bros.’ Yogi Bear brought a large-scale international production to the Bay of Plenty, with Rotorua and Taupō serving as key production hubs and accommodation bases for around 200 cast and crew. Filming took place at a number of iconic locations, including Lake Whakamaru and Aratiatia Rapids, showcasing the region’s dramatic natural landscapes. Local crew played an important role in the production, managing much of the on-water safety and logistics for the rafting sequences filmed at the rapids.

Studio & Budget

Warner Bros | $80 Million

Filming Locations

Aratiatia Rapids
Rotorua District
Taupō District

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productions filmed in bay of plenty chronicles of Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia:
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

Lucy and Edmund Pevensie return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace where they meet up with Prince Caspian for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader.
Along the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and a band of lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world. The scene where the volcanic island on which Eustace discovers a horde of gold which turns out to have unexpected properties, is Whakaari / White Island. The steaming smoking island location was used for second unit shots.

Studio & Budget

Walt Disney | $155 Million

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Filming Locations

White Island (Whakaari)

productions filmed in bay of plenty boy

Boy (2010)

Boy, an 11-year-old child and devout Michael Jackson fan who lives on the east coast of New Zealand in 1984, gets a chance to know his absentee criminal father, who has returned to find a bag of money he buried years ago.
The movie was written and directed by Taika Waititi (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) and shot in Waihau Bay, with Waititi’s grandmother’s house used as a main set-piece. The marae housed many of the actors during filming, with locals involved in the production as extras.

Filming Locations

Waihau Bay
East Cape

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productions filmed in bay of plenty without a paddle

Without a Paddle (2004)

After their friend dies, three men decide to fulfill their childhood dream by going on a camping expedition for the lost D. B. Cooper bounty, with calamitous results.
This comedy movie was filmed using North Island locations exclusively for their depiction of an Oregon river rafting trip. Bay of Plenty locations were Rotorua, Huka Falls and the Waikato River in Taupō. It was also the first film to qualify for the NZSPG (New Zealand Screen Production Grant).

Studio & Budget

Paramount & De Line | $19 Million

Filming Locations

Rotorua District
Taupō District

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Local productions

productions filmed in bay of plenty muru

Ka Whawhai Tonu (2024)

Set in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1864, Ka Whawhai Tonu tells the story of a pivotal battle in the first New Zealand land wars in the Waikato region.
Rotorua played a central role in the making of Ka Whawhai Tonu, with filming taking place across the region and the production employing local cast, crew and suppliers throughout the shoot. Written and directed by Rotorua filmmaker Mike Jonathan, this ambitious te reo Māori historical drama brings a Māori perspective to a significant chapter of the New Zealand Wars. Starring Temuera Morrison, Cliff Curtis and Jason Flemyng alongside rising stars Paku Fernandez and Hinerangi Harawira-Nicholas, the film demonstrates the strength of regional storytelling and the capability of the Bay of Plenty screen sector.

Show

Feature Film | $7.6 Million

Filming Locations

Rotorua District

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Taking Back Our Beach (2023)

Tauranga’s first feature film telling the story of the Rena disaster. Filmed on location around Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty and created by a talented team of local filmmakers. It’s a fantastic showcase of our stunning locations, local talent, and the creativity that continues to grow our regional screen industry.

Film Bay of Plenty supported this production and its filmmakers with marketing and connections.

Show

Feature Film

Filming Locations

Mount Maunganui

Western Bay of Plenty

 

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productions filmed in bay of plenty muru

Muru (2022)

A dramatisation inspired by actual events, MURU is the story of a local Police Sergeant ‘Taffy’ Tawharau (Cliff Curtis), who must choose between his badge and his people, when the Government launches an armed raid through his Rūātoki community, on a school day.

Film Bay of Plenty assisted in locations, finding crew, equipment and services, creating connections with iwi, councils and Government entities.

Show

Film

Filming Locations

Te Urewera in Eastern Bay of Plenty
Tāneatua
Rūātoki

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productions filmed in bay of plenty vegas

Vegas (2021)

On one blood-stained night a drug deal gone wrong sets off a chain of events for dangerous factions and an innocent bystander, in this action thriller set in the small tourist town of Wairoto.

Film Bay of Plenty were key in helping with locations, crew, sourcing a production hub and accommodation for the crew. Vegas needed a studio so we established White St Studio and supported the Tohea Programme which allowed 20 rangitahi to be trained on set.

Show & Budget

TV Series | NZ$5.6 Million

Filming Locations

Rotorua District
Copthorne Bar
White St Studios
TECT Terrain Park Western Bay

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Runaway Millionaires (2019)

Runaway Millionaires is the gripping true story of Kara Hurring and Leo Gao, an ordinary New Zealand Rotorua couple who went on the run after $10 million was mistakenly deposited into their account.

Film Bay of Plenty assisted the production locally with helping find locations and crew, and linking them to local service providers in the region. There were 40 base crew and 30 cast.

Show & Budget

Film | NZ$2.7 Million

Filming Locations

Rotorua District

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Saviour

Premiered as part of the Best of NZ at NZIFF (NZ International Film Festival) 2022 and filmed at Rotoruas stunning Lake Ōkataina

Show

Short Film

Filming Locations

Lake Ōkataina

Cousins (2021)

Connected by blood but separated by circumstances, three cousins spend a lifetime in search of each other. Based on the 1992 novel by Patricia Grace.

A number of Rotorua shooting locations were used in the film and casting of the main characters and extras was all done locally.

Ainsley Gardiner (Producer) says “it’s always rewarding and that one of the coolest things when you make a film is going back to the community and showing it with them, so it was great to have the premiere in Rotorua.  We had such a lovely time in Rotorua, it was really special being there and filming in the community.” There was also amazing talent found in the area, with beautiful, talented children’

Show

Film

Filming Locations

Rotorua District – Kerosene Creek

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Colonial Combat (2019)

Filmed at Lake Rotoiti, lake Rotoma, Wai iti stream used local crew and interns, stayed at a local Marae. Crew size around 40.
Film Bay of Plenty worked with the producers to help facilitate finding the resources they needed as well as crew and wardrobe interns. We also promoted the series through social media and our regular newsletters.

Show

TV Series

Filming Locations

Rotorua District
Lake Rotoiti
Lake Rotoma
Waiiti Stream

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Rain of the Children (2008)

A woman walks between the worlds of the living and the dead in search of her lost children.

Many Tuhoe descendants played parts, recreating scenes their ancestors had experienced.

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Show

Film

Filming Locations

Tūhoe country in Te Urewera Ranges