Bollywood Presents

Exotic locations where popular Bollywood movies were shot

You are here: Home / Film Tourism Locations / Bollywood in New Zealand, a Country that is Stunningly Gorgeous

Bollywood in New Zealand, a Country that is Stunningly Gorgeous

by

Auckland and Wellington are the two main cities that come to the mind of any Indian, whenever you talk about New Zealand, courtesy Cricket & Bollywood. These two cities feature prominently in most Bollywood movies that have been shot in NewZealand.

bollywood in new-zealand auckland

And with millions of viewers watching Bollywood films globally, it does give New Zealand a high profile, and people in New Zealand are aware of that. The Indian diaspora there also helps spread the word about Bollywood Down Under.

Actress Asin loves visiting exotic destinations around the world, but admits that New Zealand is special to her. Asin first visited the picturesque location to shoot for one of her early films and also ended up celebrating her 18th birthday during the trip, one she will never forget. Since then Asin has been to the country more than ten times.

Says Asin, “New Zealand is beautiful! My first trip there coincided with my 18th birthday. The scenic beauty of the country is a visual treat and I indulged in so many activities…Explored both the north island as well as the south island. There was so much to learn about the Maori tribe – the original inhabitants and how to date they’ve managed to keep their culture alive. Thanks to my work I have been able to explore and experience the country and totally fall in love with it.”

Films Shot in NewZealand

Here are some of the popular hindi movies shot in NewZealand:

I Hate Luv Storys, Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, Om Jai Jagadish, Players, Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein.

The movie ‘Players’ (remake of ‘The Italian Job’) was shot in Auckland and Wellington, had around 600 Kiwi extras taking part in the film, and also had a scene where a couple were shown communicating in Maori.


Shooting of Players in Auckland, NZ

One of the most popular Hollywood movie “Lord of the Rings” was also shot extensively in New Zealand.

Advantage to Filmmakers

For filmmakers, the USP of the country is its compactness, which makes it easy to access and shoot footage of its diverse locations – desert-like landscapes, mangrove-fringed tidal inlets, lakes and beaches to forests, wine-growing areas and fjords, glaciers and mountains. The South Island is the home to New Zealand’s highest mountain range, the Southern Alps, which offers filming opportunities at relatively low elevations and quick access to the peaks. Easy access to such a diverse range of locations, without having to travel long distances, is one of the most important reasons that several production houses choose to shoot their films here.

Most of these locations are very close to the major production hubs based in Auckland, Queenstown, Otago and Wellington, which makes it easy to do production and post-production activities.

Another advantage, because its located in the southern hemisphere, is that their seasons are in the opposite order to what the countries in the northern hemisphere have. So if a filmmaker is shooting in their summer and requires a winter location (at a short notice), they can shoot in NewZealand.


bollywood in new-zealand

Awards & Functions

Madhuri Dixit, one of the most popular Bollywood Actresses of all time, and ShahRukh Khan (arguably the world’s biggest movie star) are set to perform at the Vector Arena (NewZealand) in October. The stars head up a team of 110 cast and crew that work on Temptation Reloaded, a show of singing, dancing, pyrotechnics and visual effects.


Ridgway School Wellington NZ goes Bollywood

Kiwi Sings in her pyjamas, wins Bollywood singing competition
A major Indian music label ran an online singing competition recently, and guess who won it? Not an Indian or a Pakistani, but an Auckland student located all the way in New Zealand. So if you have talent, distant doesn’t matter nowadays. Read more…


Newzealand tourism

New Zealand Tourism

New Zealand is also one of the most popular destinations for holidays, especially when it comes to the Bollywood stars. Bollywood stars & crew are more than happy to come here. They find the landscape here spectacular and very diverse. The dramatic scenery changes from steep mountains and lakes to green fields and river canyons. The food is good and the people are extremely warm and friendly.


Preity Zinta discovers New Zealand

Here are some more details about this beautiful country.

  • Capital: Wellington
  • Largest city: Auckland
  • Currency New Zealand dollar (NZD)
  • Drives on the: left
  • Calling code: +64


100% Pure New Zealand Tourist Board video

Auckland & Mumbai: ‘Sister Airport’ Relationship

Airport sistership between Mumbai and Auckland airports has been established with the objective of increasing international air links and tourism between the two countries. The ‘sistership’ is important, as India is a key market for New Zealand and is a key focus market for ‘Tourism New Zealand’ over the next few years. Read full story here…

RELATED POSTS

Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui at Mozart House in Vienna

The Mozart House (Mozarthaus) in Vienna was Mozart’s residence from 1784 to 1787. This building in Vienna is his only surviving Viennese residence and has been converted into a museum. Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who happened to be in Vienna, treated himself to a live recital of Mozart’s work at his house in Vienna. It […]

Preview theatre Lightbox, owned by Farhan Akhtar, is bustling with celebs again

Almost two months after it downed shutters, preview theatre Lightbox, owned by Farhan Akhtar and producer Ritesh Sidhwani, is open to celebs. Even film celebrities wish to watch movies once in a while. While its possible to watch previews in Filmcity, most celebs prefer a more intimate setting. In 2012, Farhan and Ritesh had launched […]

Bollywood Films to Cast More Foreigners

In the future, more and more Bollywood Films will cast foreigners, not just on the technical side, but also as actors in significant roles. There are lot of foreigners who’re working in Bollywood films behind the scenes. But when it comes to acting in Bollywood films, barring the few who have managed to establish themselves […]

Bollywood celebrities born in March (Celebrity Birthdays)

Take a look at these Bollywood and film celebrities who were born in the month of March. Those born in March (until March 20) are Pisces. Those who have this starsign have a lot of feelings, and Pisces is known as one of the more mysterious of the zodiac signs. Those born from March 21 […]

Band,Baaja & Bollywood in Lavish & the Most Expensive Indian Weddings

In one of our earlier post, we say how celebrities make some quick (and good) money performing at events such as weddings, so can you imagine how much the wedding itself would cost if you have SRK performing at the event? Most rich families don’t mind spending a few crores on their son/daughter’s grand wedding […]

When Akshay & Twinkle faced trouble for obscenity

This is one occasion when Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna got themselves in trouble, for their obscene act during a fashion week in 2009. Akshay was walking the ramp and then he invited controversy when Twinkle unbuttoned his jeans on the ramp, almost everyone claimed it to be an obscene act. A complaint was also […]

Bajirao Mastani: Winning the Battle of the Blockbusters

Bajirao Mastani Movie Review: Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed Bajirao Mastani has not only been well accepted by the audience and the critics, its also emerging the victor in the battle of the blockbusters (pitted against SRK’s Dilwale). Everything about Bajirao Mastani – the sets, the songs, the war scenes, the acting (hats off to Ranveer […]