King Kong locations
Oscar-winning Kiwi director Peter Jackson came home to New Zealand to make his latest film King Kong.
Though the locations for the film mainly took place in studios, Peter Jackson also managed to transform magnificent New Zealand landscapes into 'Skull Island', home of King Kong as if the character really existed.
Some of the main shooting locations in New Zealand, where King Kong fans can follow the character's footprints are:
Wellington
Skull Island - or Shelly Bay & Lyall Bay: Filming for Skull Island took place at Lyall Bay. A second large-scale version, including the giant wall which separated Kong from the rest of the island, was built above the Massey Memorial near Shelly Bay. Skull Island was a key location in the original 1933 movie, and Jackson's film follows the 1933 version faithfully, with a large portion of the film set on the 'island'.
New York - or Seaview, Lower Hutt: 1930s New York came alive in New Zealand at Seaview in Wellington's Hutt Valley as Jackson created a depression-era version of the Big Apple complete with Broadway, Times Square and Macy's department store, as well as vintage cars and extras clad in period costume.
Venture Ocean Scenes - or Kapiti Island & Cook Strait: Ocean scenes aboard the steamer Venture were filmed around Kapiti Island, a protected bird sanctuary off Wellington's Kapiti Coast. Incidentally, Jackson and his crew made an unscheduled visit to Kapiti Island in March 2005 when they had to abandon the Venture because the boat began to take on water during filming, flooding the engine room.
Ocean-going scenes were also shot on the Cook Strait, a stretch of water linking Wellington to Picton, at the tip of the South Island. The Strait is renowned for its rough weather and scenic beauty. The Venture pier scenes were shot at Mirimar Wharf in Cobham Drive, Wellington.
Auckland
New York Theatre Interior - or Civic Theatre: Auckland's magnificent 1929 atmospheric theatre doubled for the interior of the New York theatre where Kong breaks free of his chains and escapes. A key arts venue, the theatre is still used for a range of performances from dance to theatre, and is one of the few of its type remaining in the world. It is designed to evoke the outdoors at night, and is decorated with motifs and romantic images of the East.
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