The Southern Alps feature in Taylor Swift's new music video.

Stunning Kiwi scenery has made cameo appearances in Taylor Swift's latest video released on New Year's Day.

The video for Out of the Woods was shot in New Zealand in November - but not without controversy.

The video production company was accused of flouting council permits to protect nesting dotterel when filming on Auckland's Bethells beach.

Supplied The Southern Alps feature prominently in Out of the Woods.

The beach makes an appearance towards the end of the video in moody fashion.

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Many were unimpressed and took to social media to vent outrage - though others more closely connected to Bethels were more sanguine.

Supplied Despite all the controversy, Auckland's Bethells beach puts on a star performance in Taylor Swift's latest video.

Bethells Beach Cottages owner Trudie Bethell said Swift and her film crew were only a minor concern to the dotterel species.

"They are a pretty wonderful species on the beach, and generally I think there's too many people with their dogs on the beach.

"The filming - that's a minor part of what's an every day issue."

Swift's time in New Zealand for the filming sparked another social media frenzy as people desperately engaged in Swift-spotting, posting hazy photos - and inspiring a few mischief makers to post spoof sightings.

Now her itinerary is finally confirmed in Out of the Woods.

Yes, she was indeed also in the south.

The video, which follows Swift in a blue dress as she wanders through scenes that include beautiful snow-capped mountains shot around Queenstown - scenery and shots strangely reminiscent of Lord of the Rings, though the presence of a wolf pack following her along the mountain ridgelines are a very un-New Zealand addition.

The video had soared past a quarter of a million views on Youtube in under an hour of being released.