Perfect for privacy

Obviously as wonderful as it is to look out of a PurePod, glass makes it’s also easy to look into.

Lucky for you, each PurePod is located completely away from all other human activities, so you can enjoy every moment of your romantic getaway without worries about any roaming eyes.

“If you still feel shy each pod does have blinds and a shower curtain,” adds Hassall, “though I’d recommend leaving the blinds up so you can watch the sunrise from the comfort of the bed.”

Perhaps not one for late-risers…

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Slide your weary feet into the provided terry cloth slippers and enjoy the sensation of padding silently through your little glass house. With no Wi-Fi or phone service, the only sounds are the fantails rustling in the surrounding bush, a nearby lamb lowing, and the song of bellbirds and tuis. Under the FAQ section of PurePod’s website the question “What activities are there?” is posed. The answer? “None—that is the point.”

Watch hawks circling overhead with binoculars (thoughtfully provided), enjoy the sun setting around the glass abode from all angles, and then observe the Southern Cross and Orion’s Belt as they reveal themselves, shedding gentle starlight through the PurePod’s transparent ceiling.

The PurePod’s construction is designed to be minimally invasive. Its electricity and hot water are completely solar-powered and its freshwater source is filtered rainwater from the roof of a nearby shearing shed. It also utilizes redirected rainwater to water the underfloor ferns. Remote, minimalist, sustainable, and with a surreal dreamlike ambiance Dali would envy—all around a 40-minute drive from Christchurch.

By Julia Reynolds, The Wayward Post

18/04/2016

As we approached our PurePod, we could not believe our next 24 hours would be spent in our own isolated paradise, totally immersed in nature in this incredibly innovative eco-luxury glass chalet. We could hardly contain our excitement at our new find, not knowing whether to spend our time inside or out – in the end it was apparent that it really didn’t matter which we settled for because this was an experience where the outside world met the inside one.

PurePods is a stay quite unlike any other we’ve ever experienced, not only are the walls made of glass sliding doors, but the ceiling and floor are too – making your connection with nature a truly all-encompassing one.

You know you are staying somewhere pretty damn cool when you literally see local vegetation beneath your feet, illuminated at night by really well located underfloor lighting.

The PurePod is appointed with every conceivable convenience you could need for a short stay, from a fully stocked kitchenette to the magic little touch of towelled slippers under the bed.

The whole PurePods philosophy very cleverly encompasses design elements that are sympathetic to nature, making use of solar energy for power, bio-fuel fire for heating in the cooler months and water is sourced from rainfall on the roof that is later fed back into the surrounding vegetation after being used.

Taking a shower was an experience in itself, surrounded completely by glass meant we were able to take in views above, of the night sky, or look out onto the breath-taking New Zealand wilderness in the daytime.

Night time is really when the PurePod comes into its own, a glass ceiling allows you to follow the night sky, in a way unrivalled by almost any alternative. On our stay it was a full moon that lit up the darkness and it was pretty incredible to just watch it track across the sky with little side shows of shooting stars against a backdrop of the Southern Cross, Orion’s belt and the multitude of Constellations we get to see in the Southern Hemisphere.

After the cosiest evening you could possibly find, in one of the most comfortable beds on the planet, our PurePods experience was completed with perfection by enjoying a morning coffee on the deck, watching the sun replace the moon and the wildlife swing into action.

We spend our lives always connected, on-call to the notification of an incoming email, text message, tweet or Facebook alarm – but the only notifications you’ll find at a stay in a PurePod are the murmurings of sheep on the surrounding hills or the calls of a Tui, Bellbird or Fantail.

This was an experience completely off-the-grid, a break from the digital world where simply watching the light change as the sun made its way behind the hills was enough to hold our attention, to once again be reminded life has some incredible experiences on offer.

Our PurePods experience truly was quite unlike any other place we’ve stayed and we’re pretty certain this is something yet to be discovered – and when you do, you too will nod your head in appreciation that this is a total immersion into nature, food for your soul.

Highlights:

• Showering while being able to experience the outdoors
• Watching the night sky and star trails through the glass ceiling from the luxury of a super comfy bed
• Having nothing separating you from the outdoors other than glass

By Derek & Emma, ‘The Adventure is Calling‘

16/12/2015

PurePods is all about space without getting too airy-fairy. There’s the gimmickry of living inside a glass house (where you shouldn’t throw stones… good to get that out of the way early), but mostly it’s about the outside space. The surroundings, the privacy and the isolation is the point. There are blinds that can be lowered, if you worry that carloads of youths have made their way along the bush track to watch you commune with nature. We didn’t spot any.

The walls of the PurePod are big, sliding glass doors which you open fully to let the smells of the farmland and the bush waft through. We did this in the warmth of the afternoon after we arrived, and again at daybreak when the thunderous noise of the dawn chorus woke us. We watched the sky slowly lighten and heard the birds call in a new day. It was wonderful lying in the best bed I’ve lain in for years, snuggled under a snowy white duvet, listening to the bush and fields come alive. The night had been busy too. I woke often,  taking ages to get back to sleep because so much was happening. After dark the clouds lifted and the stars filled the glass ceiling. We picked out the Orion dipper and the Southern Cross from a chart handily supplied. Later, the moon appeared from behind the large hill to the right and tracked across the sky. With the disappearing and reappearing sun and moon, it’s the strongest sense I’ve ever had of being on a moving planet.

THE KIT

You get two gas hobs, a small fridge, a toilet, a great shower, cutlery, plates, cooking utensils, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, torch, and a USB port for recharging devices, if you must. Outside you can run a gas barbecue that can be used as an oven if you need one. You also get cooking oil, tea, coffee, milk and sugar. There is a Bluetooth speaker. In a drawer we found cards, binoculars, dominoes and books. But there is no microwave and there are no three-pin plugs. Definitely no hairdryer – the instructions warn it would use more energy in 10 minutes from the solar-topped up batteries than the whole Pod uses in 24 hours. Our cellphones managed a weak connection but we left them off anyway. The water is filtered and apparently comes from a shearing shed roof 150 metres away.

COMFORT FACTOR

This is a minimal set-up but there is comfort where it really matters – the bed. This luxurious king-sized beauty is the star of the Pod and the all-white linen is top class.

The view from the bed is fields, grass, hillside, birds and the sky above.

FOOD

Breakfast is home-made toasted muesli, home-made yoghurt and berry compote. All are excellent. But we also had the evening platter for another $95 and this was perfect for a slow, meandering pick and try meal. It featured a wide range of almost all local products from the Little River Cafe, and came delightfully packaged in Indian style tiffin containers. Our platter included chorizo, a fresh basil and cashew pesto, red onion marmalade, Akaroa smoked salmon, local roasted hazelnuts, semi-dried tomatoes, olives, marinated feta, two Barrys’ Bay cheeses – the Peninsula Blue and the Onawe Mature Cheddar, potato crackers, a fresh ciabatta loaf and lovely chocolate truffles. We brought along an Akarua Pinot Noir (only one letter out) from Central Otago and the whole was so much more than the parts.

The optional evening platter includes many very local delicacies supplied by the Little River Cafe.

WORTH STEPPING OUT FOR

Those who have booked a multi-night stay might enjoy a wander around the gallery and shops at Little River, 15 minutes away in the valley below. There is good coffee and more of those platter treats at the Little River Cafe. Drive another 35 minutes over the hills and you’ll find yourself at Frenchified Akaroa with many more cafes, galleries and opportunities to lose the stillness you enjoyed at the PurePod. My tip is to take enough supplies to not need to leave the Pod and stay there the whole time. Doing nothing and dealing with that is all part of it. The bush area it sits in can be explored, or just find a nice spot and lie flat like a lizard soaking up the sun and watch the clouds.

THE VERDICT

Memorable in a way I didn’t expect. It’s grounding and feels special. It’s a strange mix of gadgetry and getting back to nature. Worth the money? It’s expensive and that might make you decide buying a tent makes more sense. But if you really want something different, then this is a pretty amazing less-is-more luxury experience.

You can make the PurePod glow in the dark – and it’s all solar powered.

GETTING THERE

I won’t say exactly where the PurePod is because this is no place for sightseeing gawpers to wander along and have a look. The final little bit of “how to get there” information is only handed out when you have booked and long may it stay that way. Book at purepods.com. The website shows which nights are booked and which are available. Plan well ahead because it’s popular, especially at the weekends. In general terms the PurePod is about 40 minutes from Christchurch along the Akaroa Rd, and sits in the hills above Little River. There’s a bit of an atmosphere-building gravel road drive and then a final up and down bush walk of about 10 mins to get to the site. If you are only computer workstation fit like me, you will arrive puffing a little.

ESSENTIALS

The tariff is $490 a night. The optional platter is an extra $95, but definitely the way to go. Take your own really good wine. No wheelchair access, no kids, no pets.

By Ewan Sargent, Stuff.co.nz

25/10/2015

Little River PurePod, New Zealand.

Why we love it?

Is it a room?  Hard to say.  But it most certainly has a view, and in every direction – up, out and down.  Views are the point of this futuristic, freestanding glass box in a wraparound of sky and native New Zealand bush.  Nothing inside spoils the panorama, not carpet, curtains or ceiling.  Even the bedhead is glass.  At night the Milky Way is a silvery arc above your head, by day the Pacific a distant shimmer of blue.  Hills and valleys ripple away right and left.  Flowers bloom beneath the transparent floor.  This isn’t a hotel, or even close, though it’s luxurious and well-equipped.  It’s just you: the great outdoors and your self-contained retreat from the world, where solar power makes everything work, worms take care of the waste and filtered rainwater is piped from the shearing shed of a nearby farm.  Otherwise there’s no one for miles.  No one waiting on arrival, no staff and no service, or none that you need meet or see.  You make your own tea or coffee, take supper from the tiffin in the fridge, serve yourself homemade granola in the morning.  There’s no Wi-Fi, no TV, no phone signal – but pity the sould in this Eden who craved the outside world.  Should you need it, help is a sun-powered satellite-phone call away.  What do you do here?  You decompress.  You slow down.  Look at the night sky (star chart provided).  Watch the hovering hawks (binoculars, also provided).  Listen to the surround sound of birdsong and breeze.  Perhaps only a tented safari puts you as close to nature, with the difference that in the New Zealand bush there are fewer things that will chase, kill, bother or poison you.  Just ferns under your feet and stars over your head.

Tim Jepson, Conde Nast Traveller

25/7/2015