Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog has been garnering an impressive array of awards.
However, as some of you may not know, the Netflix western drama was largely shot on location in New Zealand. Yes, the impressive locations you see in The Power of the Dog was largely filmed across the country including the city of Dunedin, Ida Valley, Oamaru and Queenstown – with its production base in Auckland.
The 17 weeks of pre-production and 50 days of filming provided hundreds of jobs to those in the screen sector and the dozens of vendors. A total of 15 location sets were built with a cast made up of 27 New Zealanders. On South Island alone, the film shot took 27 days to complete.
According to the director, the film was shot on location in the South Island of New Zealand. It’s sparsely populated, grassy plains and rocky mountains were a remarkable match for Montana. Campion initially thought she would make the film in Montana, or somewhere similar like the U.S. or Canada. However she was encouraged to consider New Zealand, her home country. It not only had an incredibly experienced crew but also diverse landscapes.
“On the second day of sniffing around the South Island, I was taken to a property near the Hawkdun Ranges area in Central Otago. I fell in love with it. It’s so remote and it’s 360 degrees empty with an amazing hill range behind, which felt very atmospheric,” says Campion. “Ultimately, shooting in New Zealand wasn’t a compromise, it was the best choice for us.”
Here are 8 locations in New Zealand where The Power of the Dog was filmed:
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Location: Home Hills, Oteruhua
A rural property below the Hawkdun Ranges in Central Otago was used as the set for Burbank Ranch. The property backs onto the Oteake Conservation Park and is complete with vast, soulful plains, craggy, tussock-clad hills, and sturdy mountain ranges as backdrop.
There is no wonder this scenery appealed to Campion as the country western setting for The Power of the Dog. If you’re planning a visit, opt for cycling the Central Otago Touring Route where you can experience the full backdrop featured in the movie as it includes vistas from the Ida Valley, Oturehua/Maniototo Plains, St Bathans and Naseby.
(Photo: Kirsty Griffin/Netflix)
Location: Braeside Station, Oturehua
Braeside Station is a 5500ha sheep and cattle farm used to depict the scenes of rural Montana. Pre-production for the 24 days of filming in the Maniototo included dismantling an existing set of sheep yards and building a Western-style barn, homestead, cattle corral, cowboy quarters and saloon.
(Photo: Kirsty Griffin/Netflix)
Location: Bannockburn Sluicings, Cromwell (Central Otago)
The Bannockburn Sluicings are a spectacular landscape of cliffs and pinnacles that remain from large-scale water blasting during the 19th century search for gold. The scene in The Power of the Dog where Peter goes on a solo ride and comes across a diseased cattle carcass was filmed here, near the town of Cromwell.
(Image: Tourism New Zealand)
Location: Snow Picnic, Queenstown Hill (Queenstown)
In The Power of the Dog, not long after they’re married, Rose and George are alone on a hillside where she teaches him a few dance steps. This filming location is Queenstown Hill, located overlooking the city of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu, with Cecil Peak as a backdrop. You can experience this location via the Queenstown Hill Time Walk.
(Image: Tourism New Zealand)
Location: Dunedin Railway Station (Dunedin)
The scene where George picks up his parents at the train station was filmed at the magnificent Dunedin Railway Station. Opened in 1906, this ornate Flemish-Renaissance style building is one of the South Island’s most prominent architectural landmarks.
(Image: Tourism New Zealand)
Location: Manuherikia & Ida Valley
The Manuherikia and Ida Valleys are proud, timeless places – geologically fascinating and edged by mountain ranges and crumpled velvet hills – they are soul country. These locations were used to depict the Burbank Ranch and the Cattle Drive in the film. Riding the Otago Central Rail Trail will take you through or close by to many of the Manuherikia and Ida Valley towns and they’re all worth a visit on the bike or via a road trip.
(Photo: Tourism New Zealand)
Location: Oamaru
The scenes in the fictional town of Herndon, Montana, were filmed in Tyne and Harbour Streets at Oamaru’s Victorian Precinct. This neighbourhood in Oamaru’s harbour has preserved many 19th-century buildings constructed in local white limestone and is famed for the local Steampunk community.
(Photo: Camilla Rutherford/Steampunk HQ)
Location: Lake Tekapo (Mackenzie)
Glenmore Station near Lake Tekapo provided the idyllic setting for some of the scenic winter landscapes seen in the film.
(Image: Tourism New Zealand)
