In 2018, I wrote two blog posts about the Hawaiian islands O’ahu and Kaua’i. Both locations feature in the film PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, the fourth instalment in the film series about pirate captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp).
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At the start of the film, Jack Sparrow meets the British King George II (Richard Griffiths) and Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in London. The king has heard that the Spanish are searching for the Fountain of Youth and wants Jack to lead a British expedition to be the first to find the mythical spring. According to legend, whoever drinks from or bathes in its waters become young again.
The scenes set in London were filmed in England, both on location and in the studio, from September to November 2018. After the opening credits, a court in London around the year 1750 can be seen. In reality, this is the Old Royal Naval College in the borough of Greenwich, where hundreds of films and TV series have been filmed; see also my blog post about The Crown. The image has been significantly digitally altered: the tower of the Painted Hall has been replaced by a statue of Lady Justice, and the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral has been added. The day before, we had photographed this cathedral from Waterloo Bridge.
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Old Royal Naval College, London, 3 May 2025
St Paul's Cathedral seen from Waterloo Bridge, London, 2 May 2025
After the trial, Sparrow plans to escape in a waiting carriage with his former first mate, Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin McNally). This is the courtyard of Queen Anne Court at the Old Royal Naval College. He has bribed the coachman (Robert Stone), but the man turns out to be corrupt. They are captured by the British army. This scene was filmed at Hampton Court Palace, which we did not visit.
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Queen Anne Court, Old Royal Naval College, London, 3 May 2025
Sparrow is taken away by two soldiers, who drag him through a large hall. Once again, it is the Old Royal Naval College, this time the Painted Hall at King William Court.
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Painted Hall, Old Royal Naval College, London, 3 May 2025
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Painted Hall, Old Royal Naval College, London, 3 May 2025
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Painted Hall, Old Royal Naval College, London, 3 May 2025
This set photo shows more of the Painted Hall. The paintings were created in the early eighteenth century by Sir James Thornhill.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On stranger tides, set photo
Painted Hall, Old Royal Naval College, London, 3 May 2025
The soldiers chain Sparrow to a chair ahead of a meeting with the king in the dining hall. This also appears to be the Painted Hall, but is in fact a set at Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath, about 18 miles (29 kilometres) west of central London. It is possible that a set was chosen because Sparrow manages to escape via a chandelier and a balcony, neither of which are present in the Painted Hall. St Paul’s Cathedral can once again be seen in the mural.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On stranger tides, set photo
Painted Hall, Old Royal Naval College, London, 3 May 2025
Sparrow manages to escape from the palace and ends up on a passing carriage. After a brief and amusing encounter with an English lady, played by Judi Dench, the carriage travels through London. It appears to be a long street, but it is in fact College Way, which is only 985 feet (300 metres) long and runs between the buildings of the Old Royal Naval College. It was filmed from various angles.
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Old Royal Naval College, London, 3 May 2025
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Old Royal Naval College, London, 3 May 2025
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Old Royal Naval College, London, 3 May 2025
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Old Royal Naval College, London, 3 May 2025
After hopping onto a second carriage, Sparrow ends up on an undertaker’s cart and then jumps onto a coal merchant’s cart.
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Old Royal Naval College, London, 3 May 2025
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Old Royal Naval College, London, 3 May 2025
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Old Royal Naval College, London, 3 May 2025
The coal merchant falls off the cart and Sparrow carries on alone. The soldiers fire at him and hit a lantern, causing the coal to burst into flames. The gate through which the cart passes carrying the burning coal is on Middle Temple Lane, near Temple Gardens, close to the River Thames.
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Middle Temple Lane, London, 2 May 2025
Middle Temple Lane appears in the film for just two seconds, and little can be seen of the area. The set photos below show more of the street and the beautiful gateway. The building dates from 1879 and the sculptures were created by Calder Marshall. Above the entrance, two cherubs hold a medallion bearing a portrait of Queen Victoria.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On stranger tides, set photo
Middle Temple Lane, London, 2 May 2025
Pirates of the Caribbean: On stranger tides, set photo
Middle Temple Lane, London, 2 May 2025
During our visit to the Old Royal Naval College, we took the Film Tour, a guided tour providing information about the films and TV series that have been filmed here; for up-to-date information, please check the Old Royal Naval College website under All Events. Our guide pointed out the entrance gate. Producers had asked if Johnny Depp could enter via this gate rather than the busy main entrance. However, the gate would no longer open; over the years, the lock had become seized up with rust. That was no problem for the producers, and for £ 1,000 the gate was repaired and opened again. Johnny Depp, however, decided to go in through the main entrance.
Part 4 of the Pirates-series, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, was filmed in London, Los Angeles, Puerto Rico and Hawaii. Previously I wrote about the locations on O'ahu, this blog post is about Kaua'i, nicknamed The Garden Island.
Na Pali Coast, Kaua'i, 22 June 2017
Kaua'i is known for its high annual rainfall. The island owes its nickname to the heavy rain, nature is lush with thick, dense jungles and there are deep valleys worn out by the rain. These turned out to be the perfect backdrop for the tropical island where the pirates end up in search for the Fountain of Youth. In April 2010, a casting call for extras in Lihu'e, the capital of Kaua'i, attracted hundreds of local residents, many dressed up as pirates.
Filming was done at the Na Pali coast, the Allerton Garden, the Kipu Ranch, Grove Farm at Lihu'e, Valley House at Kealia Valley, the former Coco Palms Resort and the Waikapala'e Cave, a cave in the film seen as the entrance to the Fountain of Youth. During our stay we were not able to visit all locations.
The first day of shooting was on 14 June 2010 at Honopu Beach. In this scene Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) discovers the stranded ship of Juan Ponce de Leon, the Spanish conqueror who according to legend had been searching for the Fountain of Youth. Honopu Beach has a rock formation with a natural arch and is part of the Na Pali Coast. The coastline in the north of the island consists of green cliffs and are difficult to access, there are no roads or trails. Johnny Depp was brought to the beach with a helicopter. We watched Honopu Beach from a boat and also by helicopter.
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Honopu Beach, Kaua'i, 22 June 2017
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Honopu Beach (helicopter view), Kaua'i, 22 June 2017
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Honopu Beach, Kaua'i, 22 June 2017
A one minute video on the first day of shooting at Honopu Beach is on YouTube.
On their way to the Fountain of Youth, a stop is made at a group of trees with roots that grow above the ground, Moreton Bay fig trees. The trees are in the Allerton Garden, a tropical botanical garden in the south of Kaua'i. The only possibility to see the trees is during a 90 minutes tour with a guide for US $ 50, every hour from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
We arrived at the end of the afternoon on our last day at Kaua'i and could not do the tour anymore, unfortunately. We did get a brochure with a picture of the fig trees on the cover. The same trees can also be seen in Jurassic Park.
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Brochure Allerton Garden
Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) have been captured and are tied to palm trees. This scene was filmed at the Coco Palms Resort, once a luxurious hotel where films like Miss Sadie Thompson and Blue Hawaii were set but there was little left of its former glory during our visit. Because of the damage Hurricane 'Iniki caused in 1992 it had to be closed and left the hotel in decay. However, plans to renovate the Coco Palms Resort are well advanced, there is already a new website. The grounds were not open to the public in 2017, but part of the site was visible through the fences. Coconuts were removed from the palm trees during production of the movie to prevent people being hit by falling coconuts.
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Coco Palms Resort, Kaua'i, 20 June 2017
The movie ends with Jack Sparrow and his first mate Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin McNally) walking on the beach towards the sunset. This beach is Ke'e Beach and is also part of the Na Pali Coast. Besides from the sea, it can also be accessed on foot by following the Kalalau Trail. We saw the beach from the sea; note the shape of the mountains to see the similarities.
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Na Pali Coast, Kaua'i, 22 June 2017
Information about the filming on location comes from The New Kaua’i Movie Book: Films made on the Garden Island by Chris Cook published in 2015.
