Condé Nast TravelerSep 25
In Heart of the Beast, New Zealand's South Island Makes a Compelling Dupe for Alaska
The survival thriller doubles as a heartwarming animal flick about the bond between human and dog.
17 things in this story
- Lake SylvanSightInaccessible area used for aerial plates of plane's route
- Lake GunnSightBeach used for the plane crash site
- Routeburn RiverSightIt is a short stony river that flows for some 15 kilometres into the Dart River / Te Awa Whakatipu in the South Island.
- Routeburn ValleySightTrek through forests and mountains
- Elsewhere
- Earnslaw BurnSightGlenorchy, New ZealandValley and glacier filmmakers flew a plane over
- Mount EarnslawSightGlenorchy, New ZealandFilmmakers flew a plane over this mountain
- Lake WakatipuSightQueenstown, New ZealandMassive lake surrounded by mountains and glaciers
- Chinaman's BluffSightGlenorchy, New ZealandStood in for the field where James plays with Odin
- Dart RiverSightGlenorchy, New ZealandUsed as the meadow's riverbank
- Jordan Creek ForestSightParadise, New ZealandThick, wooded area where James encounters a fellow traveler
- Invincible SnowfieldsSightQueenstown, New ZealandPrivate ski resort used for bear encounter
- Earnslaw Burn's peakSightGlenorchy, New ZealandClimbed along the edge during trek
- Arahura RiverSightHokitika, New ZealandIn 1846, Brunner and Heaphy sketched and described a Māori settlement they called Araura [sic] (Arahura).
- Paradise TrustSightParadise, New ZealandOverlook, field, and road connected for vantage point scenes
- Kumeū Film StudiosPlaceAuckland, New ZealandBacklot used for military flashback scenes
- Queenstown HillSightQueenstown, New ZealandUsed for Blackhawk helicopter scenes
- Poutini's GorgeSightArahura River, New Zealand