Movies
The Piano: Karekare Beach to Nelson
The Piano (1993) was filmed in New Zealand, with its famous beach scene shot at Karekare Beach west of Auckland, plus farms at Matakana and Awakino and underwater scenes in the Bay of Islands.
Jane Campion's film follows Ada, a woman who does not speak, from a beach where her piano is left behind to a new life in Nelson. The route follows the story through five places, each marked as a film location or story setting.
Nelson, the film's ending, is a story setting, not a filming site.
Timeline & locations
What do the location labels mean?
- Exact
- The pin marks the actual place where it happened or was filmed.
- Approximate
- The right area — a town, park or district — but not a precise spot.
This is where the story starts. Ada and her daughter Flora, with their handcrafted piano, are stranded on a New Zealand beach by a ship's crew. At the beach, George is entranced by her music. The landing was filmed at Karekare Beach, west of Auckland, during a 12-week shoot in 1992. Today Karekare is a small coastal settlement between the Waitākere Ranges and a large black sand surf beach.
Visitor guidance: Karekare Beach lies on the west coast, west of Auckland.
Sources
- The Piano
- Locator:
- Plot; Production
- The Piano film locations
- Locator:
- Locations
- Karekare, New Zealand
- Locator:
- Introduction
- The Piano
The film's bush scenes were shot on two farms, one along Matakana Valley Road in Matakana. In the bush, George makes his bargain: he offers Alisdair the land he has been coveting in exchange for the piano and lessons from Ada. She restricts the lessons to the black keys only. The sources do not say which scenes used which farm.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap-36.34158, 174.70356Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: The location guide names Matakana Valley Road but not the farm, so the pin marks the town of Matakana.
Sources
- The Piano
- Locator:
- Plot; Production
- The Piano film locations
- Locator:
- Locations
- The Piano
The second bush farm was a 2,500 acre farm on Awakau Road, Awakino; the pin marks the nearby settlement, not the farm. In the bush the story turns dark: Ada sends George a piano key engraved with a love declaration, and Alisdair cuts off her index finger, depriving her of the ability to play.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap-38.65000, 174.63333Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: The farm is private and the pin marks the Awakino settlement, not the farm itself.
Sources
- The Piano
- Locator:
- Plot; Production
- The Piano film locations
- Locator:
- Locations
- The Piano
On the way to the ship, Ada asks George to throw the piano overboard. A rope catches her leg and she is dragged underwater with it in an attempt to drown herself. Then she appears to change her mind, struggles free and is pulled to safety. The underwater scenes were filmed at the Bay of Islands.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap-35.20000, 174.16667Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: The sources say only that the underwater scenes were filmed somewhere in the Bay of Islands.
Sources
- The Piano
- Locator:
- Plot; Production
- The Piano film locations
- Locator:
- Locations
- The Piano
In the epilogue Ada describes her new life with George and Flora in Nelson, where she gives piano lessons in their new home. George has made her a metal finger to replace the one she lost. Nelson is a city on Tasman Bay at the top of the South Island. It is the story's setting, not a filming site.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap-41.27083, 173.28389Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: The film names the city only; the pin marks Nelson's centre, and the film was not shot here.
Sources
- The Piano
- Locator:
- Plot; Production
- Nelson, New Zealand
- Locator:
- Introduction
- The Piano
