Netflix has added a new novel adaptation to its catalogue and this time, it’s John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, a family saga which has been reimagined by screenwriter Zoe Kazan.
This new version of the story puts Cathy Ames (Florence Pugh) at its centre, but still has a fidelity to many of the novel’s central components, including its setting.
On screen, this is realised in the form of sweeping landscapes, transporting viewers back to the late 19th century and early 20th century.
But just where is the series actually set and where was it filmed?
Read on for everything you need to know about the filming locations used for East of Eden.
Where is East of Eden set?
As with John Steinbeck’s novel, the new Netflix adaptation of East of Eden is set primarily in the Salinas Valley of northern California.
Writer and showrunner Zoe Kazan told Vanity Fair that she was disappointed not to film in California, explaining that it was a decision made because of cost.
“I felt as if I had been birthed from the soil like a California poppy,” Kazan said, as she was born in Los Angeles. “And the budget realities were just such that we just could not have afforded to do it [there].”
Where was East of Eden filmed?
East of Eden was filmed almost entirely in New Zealand, which stands in as California. The shoot spread across both islands, with the South Island’s Otago region being a primary filming location, alongside Auckland on the North Island.
The historic Waitaki District town of Ōamaru served as the production’s most heavily featured location, with its 19th-century limestone architecture redressed to pass for turn-of-the-century America. Filming also took in Dunedin, Central Otago and the Maniototo, while Auckland’s Devonport and Cheltenham areas hosted additional period sequences.
Production ran from October 2024 and wrapped around March 2025, ahead of the series’ autumn 2026 release.
Ōamaru and the Waitaki District
Ōamaru’s Victorian Heritage Precinct provided the main town-street setting, with crews laying gravel and adding period detail, vehicles, horses and extras to hide anything too modern. Harbourside and the Oamaru Steam and Rail railyard were used for harbour and railway scenes, with the historic Oamaru Railway Station also used for filming.
Other confirmed spots in the town included the Scottish Hall, while filming activity was reported around Tyne Street and the Criterion Hotel area, where a nearby set was built to resemble a sawmill shanty town.
Dunedin and Central Otago
Filming also took place in Dunedin, including the city centre, where locals spotted the production at work. Further inland, Central Otago and the Maniototo provided open country for the story’s rural scenes.
Auckland and Cheltenham
On the North Island, Auckland was used for filming, with the seaside suburb of Cheltenham in Devonport doubling for California.
East of Eden is available to watch on Netflix now. You can sign up to Netflix from £7.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky TV and Virgin Media.
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