Condé Nast TravelerSep 25, 2026
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
- Jordan Creek ForestSightThick, wooded area where James encounters a fellow traveler
- Paradise TrustSightOverlook, field, and road connected for vantage point scenes
- 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
- Lake SylvanSightFiordland National Park, New ZealandInaccessible area used for aerial plates of plane's route
- Lake GunnSightFiordland National Park, New ZealandBeach used for the plane crash site
- Invincible SnowfieldsSightQueenstown, New ZealandPrivate ski resort used for bear encounter
- Earnslaw Burn's peakSightGlenorchy, New ZealandClimbed along the edge during trek
- Routeburn RiverSightFiordland National Park, New ZealandIt is a short stony river that flows for some 15 kilometres into the Dart River / Te Awa Whakatipu in the South Island.
- Routeburn ValleySightFiordland National Park, New ZealandTrek through forests and mountains
- Arahura RiverSightHokitika, New ZealandIn 1846, Brunner and Heaphy sketched and described a Māori settlement they called Araura [sic] (Arahura).
- Kumeū Film StudiosPlaceAuckland, New ZealandBacklot used for military flashback scenes
- Queenstown HillSightQueenstown, New ZealandUsed for Blackhawk helicopter scenes
- Poutini's GorgeSightArahura River, New Zealand