Shot on location - Films and TV-series: April 2023

En route from Sydney to Los Angeles, airline Oceanic flight 815 crashes on a tropical island in the Pacific Ocean. 71 people and one dog have survived the crash who must now survive on the mysterious island. This is the beginning of the US television series LOST. The first episode was broadcast by ABC on 22 September 2004.

The actors of season 3

A total of 121 episodes, spread over six seasons, would be made. As far as I can remember, I have seen all episodes. Most of the series was filmed on O'ahu, one of the islands of the US state of Hawaii. Apart from beautiful locations, this island is home to the capital Honolulu where the Hawaii Film Studio is located. The studio, originally built for the television series Hawaii Five-O, was mostly used to shoot interior scenes.

During the show’s heyday, there were several websites that listed the filming locations but almost all of them have disappeared. The photos below are just a small selection of the dozens of locations where filming took place.

Prior to each season, group photos were made of the main characters. In this photo, taken to promote the first season, the actors are standing in front of a banyan. This tree produces aerial roots that grow down from its branches. When the roots touch the ground, they thicken and eventually form a new trunk. It looks like the actors are standing in front of several trees but it is actually one tree. This banyan tree is in the Kawela Bay Beach Park near Turtle Bay, a beach in the northern part of O'ahu, close to the resort of the same name where we stayed. Although our photo does not quite match the banyan with the actors, the sign indicates it is the same location.

The actors in front of the banyan tree, Kawela Bay Beach Park

Kawela Bay Beach Park, O'ahu, 12 June 2017

The Banyan Tree sign, Kawela Bay Beach
Park, O'ahu, 12 June 2017

In the second part of the pilot episode, some survivors of the plane crash explore the island. They pass the banyan, this screenshot shows how big the tree is. A banyan can grow hundreds of years old. This location can also be seen in Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides.

Lost, season 1, episode 2, 0:20:31

Kawela Bay Beach Park, O'ahu, 12 June 2017

Kualoa Ranch, O'ahu, 12 juni 2017

To counter boredom and stress, Hurley (Jorge Garcia) creates a golf course in part 9 "Solitary" of season 1. He had found the golf equipment in the luggage. After some hesitation, Jack (Matthew Fox), Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) and Michael (Harold Perrineau) join in, other survivors look on. These scenes were filmed in the Ka'a'awa Valley, part of the Kualoa Ranch on the east coast of O'ahu. There are several signs on the property indicating a film or series that was filmed here, including Lost.