Brief
Netflix’s ‘East of Eden’ filmed in New Zealand’s historic towns
The series used Ōamaru’s limestone Victorian precinct and other South Island locations to recreate the novel’s California setting.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Netflix’s seven‑part adaptation of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden was filmed in New Zealand, more than 6,000 miles from the story’s California setting, according to the Independent.
What happened
The production chose the small South‑Island town of Ōamaru in the Waitaki District of Otago because its historic precinct retains late‑1800s limestone Victorian buildings such as Smith’s Grain Store and The Criterion Hotel. These structures appear in the series as stand‑ins for the Salinas Valley town described in the novel. The Waitaki tourism board has even created a self‑guided walking tour of the locations featured in the show.
What the reports add
The Independent notes that New Zealand’s “natural, unspoiled landscape” provided an ideal pastoral backdrop, while the country’s Victorian‑era architecture, a legacy of a 19th‑century gold rush, offered locations that would have been hard to find in the United States. The article also quotes writer‑producer Zoe Kazan saying the series is not a “super faithful adaptation” but an opportunity to explore the epic story.
What was said
“The movie isn’t a super faithful adaptation of the small part of the book that it is adapting,” Kazan told Netflix’s Tudum, as reported by the Independent.
How it came about
Facing the challenge of recreating California’s Salinas Valley, the team turned to New Zealand’s preserved Victorian architecture and scenery, which matched the period setting of the novel between the American Civil War and the First World War.
Key facts
- Netflix’s East of Eden series was filmed in New Zealand, primarily in Ōamaru, Otago. (independent.co.uk)
- Ōamaru’s historic precinct retains late‑1800s limestone Victorian buildings used in the series. (independent.co.uk)
- Writer‑producer Zoe Kazan said the adaptation is not a super‑faithful version of the book. (independent.co.uk)
Sources
- [1] independent.co.uk — originally reported as “Where was East of Eden filmed? The New Zealand locations spotted in the film”
