<Li> Jane O'Kane as Anne </Li> <Li> Aumuri Parata - Haua as Baby Paikea </Li> <P> The film had budget of NZ $9,235,000 . It received $2.5 million from the New Zealand Film Production Fund . Additional financing came from ApolloMedia, Filmstiftung NRW, the New Zealand Film Commission and NZ On Air . Casting director Diana Rowan visited numerous schools to find an actress to play Pai . 10,000 children were auditioned before narrowing it down to 12 . Castle - Hughes impressed Caro in the resulting workshop and was cast as Pai . The film was shot in Whangara on the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island and in Auckland . Producer John Barnett said "This novel was set in Whangara and it would almost have been heresy to shoot anywhere else . There are very physical things that are described in the book--the sweep of the bay, the island that looks like a whale, the meeting houses, the number of houses that are present and of course, the people whose legend we were telling . (...) If we'd gone somewhere else and tried to manufacture the surroundings and the ambience, then I think it would have been noticeable in the picture ." The whale beaching was depicted using full - scale models created by Auckland, New Zealand based Glasshammer visual effects . The 60 - foot waka seen at the end of the film was made in two halves in Auckland before being transported to Whangara . The waka was given to the Whangara community after filming concluded . </P> <P> Whale Rider was theatrically released on 2003 in New Zealand and Germany . </P>

Where was whale rider filmed in new zealand