Sportsmen's Playground New Zealand

Made by feature film pioneer Roger Mirams (Broken Barrier), this 1951 film promotes New Zealand outdoor recreation. Coming decades before bungy jumps and hobbits, this was an early effort to brand NZ as an adventure sport playground, taking in snow sports, deer-stalking, pig hunting, fishing and yachting. Regular filmgoers may have found Miram's footage familiar; most of it came from items he'd shot for Sydney-based company Movietone News. Some shots dated from as early as 1948, when he left the NFU to found company the Pacific Film Unit. 

After the strenuous day’s climb it’s agony waiting for the cook to finish while the juicy smell from the open fire wafts through the camp.

– From the narration, about a successful day's deer stalking

Key Cast & Crew

Roger Mirams

Director, Writer, Camera

Briton Chadwick

Narrator