The $10m street in small town NZ heading for Netflix

A heritage precinct contributing an estimated $10.6 million a year to Ōamaru’s economy is about to get another turn in the international spotlight in Netflix’s East of Eden. 

Harbour St sits at the heart of the precinct, with Waitaki District Council crediting the single stretch of road with generating millions of dollars for the local economy. 

Businesses across Ōamaru’s Heritage Precinct contributed an estimated $10.6m of GDP annually, equivalent to about 1.3% of economic activity within the Ōamaru urban area, according to an economic impact study of the precinct. 

The study found $7.2m in consumer spending took place directly within the precinct in 2023, with visitors accounting for 59%, or $4.3m, of that spending. 

Now its Victorian streetscape will be exposed to a potentially vast new audience through Netflix’s seven-part adaptation of John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel East of Eden. 

Netflix confirmed this month that the series, starring Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames, will premiere on October 1. 

John Baster and Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust property manager Jacob Barwick sit on a planter box from East of Eden with a copy of the Starlight Hotel signage. Photo / Waitaki District Council 

Parts of the production were filmed in Ōamaru in January last year, with the town’s distinctive heritage buildings helping transform the precinct into period California. 

The production continues a long relationship between Ōamaru and the screen industry, with its preserved limestone buildings, historic harbour and relatively uncluttered streetscape making it particularly suitable for period productions. 

Ōamaru Whitestone Civic Trust property manager Jacob Barwick said the arrival of East of Eden had brought excitement to the precinct. 

John Baster with the bottles of Lanes Emulsion from East of Eden. Photo / Waitaki District Council 

“The crew were amazed by the precinct,” Barwick said. 

“They told us there was nowhere else in the world quite like it.” 

Securing Ōamaru as a location was more than a year in the making, according to material released by the Waitaki District Council, with location scouts returning several times before the town was confirmed. 

By December 2024, props and costumes were arriving ahead of filming the following month. 

Ōamaru’s SteamPunk Headquarters. Photo / Waitaki District Council 

“We all had to sign non-disclosure agreements, of course, but it was an open set, so people were always nearby, watching the transformation unfold,” Barwick said. 

“There were even bus tours organised.” 

Waitaki District Council chief executive Alex Parmley said the production offered an opportunity to showcase the town internationally. 

“It was wonderful to see Ōamaru become part of a major international production, and the community is looking forward to recognising our streets and buildings on screen,” Parmley said. 

Ōamaru’s Victorian Precinct was transformed into early 20th-century California during filming for Netflix’s East of Eden. 

“This is a proud moment for the town and another opportunity to showcase Ōamaru as a distinctive, film-friendly destination.” 

Ōamaru already has substantial screen credentials. 

Jane Campion’s Oscar-winning The Power of the Dog filmed in the Victorian Precinct in 2020, using Ōamaru as part of its re-creation of 1920s Montana. 

The wider Waitaki district also featured in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, with Elephant Rocks near Duntroon used as the location for Aslan’s Camp. 

Dunedin, Maniototo and Ōamaru locations will feature in Netflix’s East of Eden, due for release later this year. 

Earlier this year, the BBC’s Great Railway Journeys also came to Ōamaru, with presenter Michael Portillo and his crew filming the town’s railway heritage, Victorian architecture and Steampunk character. 

The council has produced a film-location trail directing visitors to sites across Waitaki associated with screen productions, including the Victorian Precinct, Old Waitaki Bridge, Elephant Rocks, Otekaike, Clay Cliffs and the Ahuriri Valley. 

A more detailed map showing locations used for East of Eden is also being developed. 

Barwick said it would allow visitors to explore the places seen in the series after it begins streaming. 

The production also incorporated a particularly local piece of history. 

Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust restoration officer John Baster assisted with period details for the production, including bottles bearing original labels from Lane’s Emulsion, a tonic once manufactured in Ōamaru. 

“That was a wonderful Ōamaru touch,” Baster said. 

“The production used the original Lane’s labels on the bottles. Now those props are displayed in the very building where the tonic was once made. Today it’s home to the Victorian Wardrobe. It’s a lovely moment where local history, heritage and film all come together.” 

Netflix’s East of Eden also stars Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist, Hoon Lee, Tracy Letts, Ciarán Hinds, Martha Plimpton, Joseph Zada and Joe Anders. 

The seven-episode limited series premieres on Netflix on October 1. 

Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.