Filmmaker and explorer James Cameron wrote his own script for a new Tourism New Zealand video showing off some of this country's most spectacular sights.

Cameron, whose movies include hits Avatar, Titanic, and The Terminator, and who is also a deep-sea explorer, has a coastal estate in Wairarapa.

The new video was of "immeasurable value", Tourism NZ chief executive Kevin Bowler said.

TOURISM NZ James Cameron visited South Island scenic spots to make a new video for Tourism NZ.

In the video Cameron and his wife Suzy Amis Cameron are shown in the South Island walking on the Tasman Glacier, kayaking through a Dart River canyon and flying in a helicopter over Blanket Bay. They also hike on the alpine Routeburn Track, cycle beside Lake Pukaki and visit Mt Alfred in the Glenorchy area.

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The video was filmed over four days in January. Brief titles at the end identify Cameron as the writer of the "original words" in the video.

TOURISM NZ Cameron was accompanied by his wife Suzy Amis Cameron while making the video.

Cameron, who is Canadian, talks about spending an hour each way travelling to school as a child. During those times he would be absorbed in a book, which took his mind to other worlds.

He describes nature's imagination as "boundless", while human imagination was "meagre". His last comment is: "Curiosity. It's the most powerful thing you own."

Bowler said he was confident the Cameron video would inspire more people to visit this country.

TOURISM NZ Smile

"Having someone of the calibre of James Cameron sharing his personal stories and insights while exploring some of New Zealand's most beautiful places is of immeasurable value for New Zealand," Bowler said.

Cameron said he first visited New Zealand in the mid-90s. "I came as a stranger, I knew very little about New Zealand, and I left in love with it. Not just the beauty of the land that is very seductive, but the dynamic spirit of the people. I had never felt a connection to a place that strongly before. And I never really lost that dream.

"If you enjoy the outdoors and you enjoy a sense of adventure, you're not going to be able to beat this place anywhere in the world," Cameron said.

"If you happen to like helicopters like I do, you could see ten of the most stunning places you'll see in your lifetime in a day. If you are driving, an hour and a half or two hours, the country just unrolls toward you like an IMAX film."

Tourism NZ said Cameron and his family divided their time between New Zealand and California, with Cameron "immersed in the development of the next Avatar at their Wairarapa home.