Choice+of+Filming+Locations

Back to Heavenly Creatures:HEAVENLY CREATURES - YEAR 13 VISUAL TEXT Jackson felt it important to shoot the movie on location in Christchurch, New Zealand where the actual events took place.

"Christchurch has always regarded itself as the most English city outside England. The city's founding in the 19th century by the offspring of English gentry was an attempt to recreate a little bit of England in the Southern Hemisphere. There is a River Avon, a cathedral facing the square and English-style architecture in whose shelter the traditions and rituals of upper-middle-class English life were (and to some extent are) maintained.” G. O'Brien, NY Times, Nov. 13, 1994. Jackson filmed at the actual Ilam Homestead where the Hulme family lived and the gardens, where the real Pauline and Juliet had play-acted their fantasies 40 years earlier. Ilam is a residence owned by Canterbury University College, and used for College social functions. = Christchurch Girls' High School = The old buildings that previously housed CGHS in Cranmer Square still remain, and are now owned by the Christchurch City Council. The council was more than happy to oblige the production, so that all the school scenes could be filmed in the original buildings. = Rieper Residence = The only original site no longer standing. Based on photographs and memories of family and friends, the interior was recreated on a sound stage. = Port Levy = The seaside village of Port Levy, about 20 km south of ChCh, where the Hulmes took Pauline for an Easter holiday, was an original location. The shortest and most pleasant drive from Christchurch to Port Levy is up Dyers Pass Road, through the Cashmere Hills, past Victoria Park, and around Lyttelton Harbour. Thus, it's likely that the Hulmes would have driven past what would become the site of the murder travelling to and from Port Levy. = Victoria Park = Location shooting took place in the tearooms at the top of Victoria Park. Victoria Park lies about 7 km south of the city centre, at the summit (500 m) of the Cashmere hills, which form the southern border of Christchurch. Honora and the two girls took the Cashmere bus up Dyers Pass Road to the Park on June 22, 1954.
 * Ilam **