Miramar: Te Motu Kairangi and Film History

Discover Miramar through its Māori history and film themes. Its Māori name is Te Motu Kairangi, meaning “precious island”. The landscape’s history includes an earthquake in 1855, which raised the surrounding land and connected the island to Wellington. The name and historic event give the place a distinctive perspective before you turn to today’s film locations and things to do.

Cinema and film locations on the Miramar Peninsula

Roxy Cinema is a cinema in Miramar. It preserves the original façade of the 1928 Capitol Theatre. For film and architecture enthusiasts, a present-day cinema name is connected here with a surviving building from the area’s history. The façade offers a tangible starting point for getting to know Miramar’s cultural side.

Film studios also shape the film industry’s presence on the Miramar Peninsula: Stone Street Studios, Park Road Post Production and Wētā FX are located there. These studios are on the peninsula; this does not mean they are in the suburb of Miramar itself. Nearby, Fort Dorset is also a filming location for the Prancing Pony inn in “The Lord of the Rings”. Together, the cinema, studios and filming location offer different perspectives on film: a cinema with a historic façade, production facilities on the peninsula and a connection to a well-known film story.

Bays and getting around

If you would rather focus on the peninsula’s coast than its film history, you can explore its bays on a self-guided drive. This is a different way to experience the peninsula from focusing on individual film locations or the cinema. The drive is described as a tour of the peninsula and is not limited to the suburb of Miramar.

Bus routes 2, 31x and 24 serve central Miramar. Check the timetable before your trip if you want to plan your journeys around them. This lets you consider sightseeing and a self-guided drive as different options, without assuming a particular route or travel time.

Wellington City as the wider setting

The wider destination of Wellington City offers other themes. Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne covers 225 hectares of regenerating forest and bird habitats. During daylight hours, general admission provides access to a network of 32 kilometres of interconnected tracks. Free electric shuttles to the sanctuary are available from Wellington i-SITE and the Cable Car’s upper station; check the shuttle information before your trip. Tour options include daytime, night, twilight and photography tours, as well as tours designed specifically for children. This offers a distinct nature and tour selection in the wider destination of Wellington City, not in Miramar itself.

The Wellington Cable Car and its museum offer a different focus, too. The five-minute ride connects Lambton Quay, Victoria University and the Botanic Garden; the route is 612 metres long, and the upper station is 120 metres above sea level. The museum is housed in the original winding house, spans three floors and tells the story of the development of Wellington’s cable car system.

If bus connections are important to your plans, include the routes to central Miramar and check their timetables. This way, you can choose accommodation based on the experiences you actually want to prioritise.

Discover more destinations: Johnsonville.

Go to the main travel overview: Wellington.