Disney’s Pete’s
Dragon has been brought back to life using spectacular New Zealand locations as
the backdrop.
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Mount Victoria |
The Rotorua Redwoods Forest is the home of Elliot the Dragon
and where Pete comes across his mysterious new friend. The 110-year-old trees
tower above the forest floor and the numerous tracks and trails are popular
with walkers and bikers.
For a dragons-eye-view of the forest floor below, the new
Redwoods Forest Treewalk takes you high above ground to stroll amongst giants.
A grove of 22 majestic specimens are linked together 12-metres / 40-feet in the
air with not one nail or screw connecting the structure to the trees.
The central North Island town of Rotorua is one of New
Zealand’s foremost tourism destinations known for its powerful Māori culture
experiences and amazing geothermal parks.
New Zealand’s capital city Wellington is known for its
contribution to film and Weta Workshop, once again, played an important role in
bringing Disney’s Pete’s Dragon to life. Weta Workshop tours have been named
one of the top 10 studio tours in the world. Film fans can meet members of the
creative team and see first-hand how they create jaw-dropping special effects.
Just 30 minutes out of Wellington is Battle Hill Farm Park,
which is where Pete makes the leap off a cliff only to land on Elliot’s back.
The Battle Hill Farm Park is home to cycle trails and mountain bike tracks. The
park is a popular spot for walkers and there are designated camping areas so
you can stay overnight right in the heart of the film location.
Queenstown is a hugely popular tourist destination and there
is nowhere more exciting or diverse to shoot a movie than in the adventure
capital of the world. Situated on the shores of Lake Wakatipu beneath The
Remarkables mountain range, Queenstown has movie star good looks.
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Milford |
Not far from Queenstown, on the northern tip of Lake
Wakatipu, sits Glenorchy and the gateway to Paradise. Paradise is true to its
namesake and the picturesque location has to be seen to be believed. Travel one
of New Zealand’s most scenic driving routes, then journey up the river aboard a
Dart River Jet Boat and, as you zoom through the shallow river on your way to
Paradise, you won’t believe what you are seeing.
The small South Island town of Tapanui (Pop. 900), located
in the Otago region of the lower South Island, was transformed into Millhaven,
a small logging town in America’s Pacific Northwest, for Disney’s Pete’s
Dragon. Tapanui is renowned for its incredible fishing in rivers brimming with
brown trout and salmon. The Pomahaka River offers world class fishing with some
of the biggest brown trout to be found anywhere in the world.
If fishing isn’t your thing, then grab a bike and jump on
the Clutha Gold Trail one of the New Zealand Cycle Trail’s Great Rides. The
trail is 72 kilometres/ 45 miles long and follows one of the country's longest
rivers through a landscape rich with goldminers’ tales of bust and boom.
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