PurePods New Zealand review: Glass pods in the middle of nowhere

If you’ve been searching for somewhere to stay in New Zealand that’ll take your trip to the next level, let me introduce you to the eco-luxury glass cabins called PurePods.

There are 16 pods scattered around some of the most isolated parts of the country, from wild coastlines to hilltops inside designated dark sky zones, all completely off the grid so you can basically switch on “do not disturb” in real life.

Inside you’ll find a much more luxe setup than you might expect in such remote locations, with a comfy bed, mini kitchen, flushing toilet and proper shower, all surrounded by glass walls and a glass ceiling so you can marvel at the landscape all day and the stars all night.

Here’s my full review of PurePods, how they work, what to expect, how each of my stays panned out, who they’re best for, and everything you need to know before booking one for yourself.

Disclosure: My PurePods stays were hosted by local tourism boards or PurePods themselves in exchange for content from those trips, but this post is not part of any partnership and neither PurePods NZ nor any tourism board has editorial control over this content. As always, all opinions are my own.

What is a PurePod?

A PurePod is an all-glass eco-cabin set in remote corners of the New Zealand countryside, with glass walls and a glass ceiling for maximum sightseeing and stargazing, far away from any light pollution or noise pollution. They’re the ultimate off-grid stay.

Each pod is a decent distance from roads or other houses, so you have total privacy… from humans anyway!

Many of them are in the middle of working farms so you might have sheep roaming the paddock next door, otherwise it’s just you, your travel buddy, the birds and whatever other (harmless) animals call that secluded spot home.

Where can you find PurePods?

There are 16 PurePods dotted around the country, from the winterless Far North right down to Stewart Island/Rakiura:

• Six in the North Island: Mākoha (Kerikeri), Rewarewa (Muriwai), Ruru (Coromandel), Pāmu (Rotorua), Matū (Waitomo) and Kokomea (Kāpiti Coast)
• Eight in the South Island: Manakau and Kahutara (Kaikōura), Atatū and Korimako (Hurunui), Greystone (Waipara), Pōhue (Banks Peninsula), and Haurapa and Tāima (Central Otago)
• Two on Stewart Island/Rakiura: Tokoeka and Hananui

PurePods are pretty much the same on the inside, but each location offers a different experience, from the journey to reach your pod to what view you wake up to. Some feel like they’re hidden in an enchanted forest and others will make you feel like you’re the queen of the castle, but all of them are impressive in their own way.

What to expect at a PurePod

Getting to the PurePod

You’ll get an email before your stay with directions to the carpark, info about the walk to the pod and how to get inside.

PurePods are totally contactless so there’s no one to greet you on arrival, you just follow the directions to the designated parking spot, put everything you need for the night into an easy-to-carry bag, and set off for the short journey to your getaway.

From the carpark it can be anywhere from 300m-1.2km to the pod depending on the location, with signposts or flags marking the way. Most pod trails have uneven ground and some have stiles (steps to climb over farm fences), so it’s essential to wear appropriate shoes and arrive well before dark so you’re not trying to navigate unfamiliar terrain as the sun’s going down. Speaking from experience 🙃

If you’re not used to farm roads or walking tracks through paddocks or bush then you might feel a little out of your comfort zone, but this is all part of the PurePods experience!

New Zealand is a very safe country to do this in, there are no snakes slithering through the grass or kangaroos that might come out of nowhere and knock you over, the biggest risk is that you might step in cow poo if you’re not looking where you’re walking.

Inside the PurePod

Don’t think that going off grid means leaving home comforts behind, because every PurePod is brilliantly equipped with everything you need for a cosy stay, a homecooked meal and a good night’s sleep.

There’s a king bed with fancy-hotel-tier bedding, a mini kitchen with a gas cooktop, fridge, kettle and all the gear you need to cook dinner and brew a hot chocolate, and a proper bathroom with a hot shower, a flushing toilet (no scooping sawdust over your 💩 like some rural glamping spots) and toiletries so you don’t have to lug any up with you.

PurePods showers are up there with the best shower views in the country too, so if you’ve never watched sunset or sunrise mid-shampoo before, this is the place to tick it off.

You can cool the pod down on a hot day by opening the sliding doors or top windows for air flow, and there’s a big heater behind the bed which can keep you toasty in winter, though you’ll want to bring layers so you can sit outside for a hot drink in the crisp morning air.

I stayed in one near Queenstown in the middle of winter on a freezing cold night and I had one of the best sleeps of my life.

There’s no standard power plug so no way to charge laptops or power appliances like hair dryers, there’s one USB so you can charge your phone if you need to, but most pods are in reception deadzones anyway so there’s not much point. Embrace being unreachable!

Food at a PurePod

You’ve got two options for meals during your PurePod stay: bring your own supplies to cook in the mini kitchen or BBQ outside, or pre-order a food hamper and arrive to everything prepped and waiting for you. I’m obviously team platter 🧀

The exact menu will depend on the pod and season, but here’s how PurePods sells it:

• A simple evening platter with cheese and accompaniments
• A main meal with protein, potatoes, seasonal vegetables or salad, and dessert
• Seasonal breakfast with things like overnight oats, fruit, yoghurt, granola or croissants with sides

All four hampers I’ve had at PurePods have been diviiiine, with a spread of picky bits to graze on, a hearty dinner with meat to BBQ and sides like veggie kebabs, and something sweet to finish with. Breakfast has always had a range of options too, pastries or a breakfast wrap or eggs from the farm, along with yoghurt, muesli and fresh fruit.

If you choose to bring your own food then stick with something easy like pasta, stir fry or BBQ-able proteins, there’s no oven, microwave, dishwasher or much bench space to prep.

What to do at a PurePod

I’ll tell you what not to do at a PurePod, and that’s check your emails, reply to messages, doomscroll social media, read the news or anything else that depletes your dopamine via a device with a screen 📵 The algorithm can’t catch you here!

PurePods are designed for disconnection from the outside world, so dive into a new book, play card games, catch up on sleep or maybe even discover a new passion for something like birdwatching or photography.

Most pods have some info on the area so you can read up on that, some have binoculars for bird-spotting, one of the ones I stayed at had a map with some short walking trails you could do from the pod around the farm. I personally love downloading a playlist of bangers and taking a mini speaker to have a little singalong session where no one can hear me 💃🏼

Before you leave civilisation, check the sunset and sunrise times and set an alarm if you’re likely to forget, because you’ll want to be sitting outside on the deck with a glass of wine or a hot drink as the sky changes colour.

I managed to capture the most magical moon-set I’ve ever seen from Tāima PurePod in Central Otago, a bright full moon that was slipping behind the mountains while the sky turned pink.

Once darkness sets in, it’s all about the stars. PurePods are nowhere near towns, streetlights or main roads, and there are no flashing or glowing appliance lights inside the pod, so nothing interferes with what you can see through the glass ceiling from the comfort of your bed.

If you want to book a PurePod particularly for stargazing or astrophotography, see if Manakau or Kahutara (both inside the Kaikōura Dark Sky Sanctuary) or either of the Stewart Island/Rakiura pods (also in a Dark Sky Sanctuary) fit into your itinerary, ideally around a new moon, these slices of New Zealand are globally renowned for their night skies.

Just make sure you’ve got your phone or a headtorch to light the way if you’re setting up your tripod outside, tripping over at night with an expensive camera is a holiday-ruiner for sure.

Clear skies are never guaranteed, and New Zealand forecasts can be pretty unreliable until at least the day before, so cross your fingers but be prepared to roll with whatever weather you’re given.

Who are PurePods for?

PurePods are perfect for:

• Anyone craving total peace and quiet, especially if you’re burnt out and need to escape reality (and your inbox) for a night
• Couples celebrating a special occasion or planning a romantic getaway
• Stargazers and photographers
• Bird-watchers and nature lovers
• Writers or other creatives wanting a distraction-free spot to knuckle down on a project (just bring a power bank if your laptop needs charging, and remember there’s no WiFi)
• Road trippers looking for a unique accommodation experience to add to their New Zealand itinerary

And who might want to skip one?

• Any travel crew with more than two people, every pod sleeps two people maximum with no exceptions
• Anyone with limited mobility, almost all pods require a walk from the carpark on uneven terrain. If you do have any accessibility concerns get in touch with the PurePods team to see if there’s a way to make it easier for you.
• Anyone who needs to be contactable overnight for work or family reasons, most pods have very limited reception
• Budget-conscious solo travellers, if you’re splitting the cost then I think PurePods are decent value for such a special experience, but if you’re by yourself you still have to pay the full pod price which might put it out of reach for many solo trips

Reviews of my four PurePod stays

I’ve been fortunate enough to have stayed at four different pods over the years, all of them easy detours on a South Island road trip, so here’s a quick rundown of my experience at each one.

Tāima PurePod (Central Otago)

📍 Above the Kawarau Gorge near Cromwell, about 50 minutes from Queenstown and an hour from Wānaka

Tāima was my most recent PurePod stay, during my winter solo campervan road trip with my beloved Vincent van Gogh 🚐 (who is a van, not a man).

The farm road up to Tāima has tight corners that aren’t campervan-friendly so I parked down the bottom of the hill and got ready to walk up, but thankfully the farmer was on-site and offered me a ride to the usual carpark 🙏🏼 crisis averted, phew.

From there it was just a couple of minutes along a rocky path before the pod came into sight, camouflaged against the rugged terrain. The view from this one was my favourite from all the PurePods I’ve stayed at, it looked directly at the snowy mountains.

I spent a few hours taking photos all around the pod and by the time I realised I was hungry I was too far gone to spend another 20 minutes at the BBQ, so I set up the grazing platter as my girl-dinner and binge-watched The Summer I Turned Pretty until my iPad died. Don’t judge me 🙃

Astrophotography would be brilliant here on a cloudless night but unfortunately there was just a bit too much between me and the stars for anything that impressive on camera. It was still beautiful to see in real life though!

When I woke up the next morning there’d been a fresh snow dump on the peaks overnight, so I popped the kettle on, pulled the sliding doors right back, filled up the hot water bottles and got back into bed to watch the landscape wake up as the sunlight started streaming over the mountains behind me.

I had the designated breakfast from the hamper early, spent another few hours wandering around for photos, then indulged in the dinner I’d left untouched from the night before as my second breakfast, before setting off for the walk back down to the campervan.

Booking.com guest score: 9.6/10

Pōhue PurePod (Banks Peninsula)

📍 In the hills above Port Levy on Banks Peninsula, about an hour’s drive from Christchurch

I stayed at Pōhue just a few days before Tāima, a much-needed comfy night’s sleep after some longgg driving days and an issue in the van that caused my heater to stop working when outside temps fell below zero overnight (which is really when you most need the heater to work 🫠).

The walk for this one was 1.2km with some slight uphill bits, and they had a cupboard at the carpark with gumboots and raincoats for guests to use if they didn’t have their own.

I grabbed my overnight bag and some snacks and hit the trail, passing sheep along the way and stopping for so many photos that I almost missed sunset from the top. I dropped my stuff inside and ran back out with my tripod to snap some shots of the changing light over the bay.

The food hamper was delicious as always, I devoured the cheese and cured meats while I edited photos, then got stuck into the dinner in between hopeful walks outside to see if the clouds had parted, but no luck.

Sunrise more than made up for that anyway, and I got one of the best morning views of the whole road trip without even having to leave my bed.

Booking.com guest score: 8/10

Korimako PurePod (Hurunui)

📍 In the Greta Valley, about 90 minutes north of Christchurch

The Hurunui coastline is genuinely one of the most underrated stretches of the South Island, it’s not as developed a tourist destination as places like Kaikōura or Akaroa so your options for accommodation are limited, but the Korimako PurePod is the ideal Hurunui hideaway.

My mum and I had a night here during a mother-daughter road trip and it was dreamy. It’s tucked into the bush looking down along the coast towards Motunau with its vivid blue water and limestone cliffs, and the pod is surrounded by wild shrubs and native trees that amplify a chorus of birdsong.

We actually arrived here in the dark (which I wouldn’t recommend) and were treated to freshly-baked homemade bread and crackers with our cheese and dips, then feasted on venison medallions and veggies for dinner, before I spent the rest of the evening outside trying to get enough break in the clouds for some star shots. And it was a success!

Booking.com guest score: 10/10

Manakau PurePod (Kaikōura)

📍 About 20 minutes inland from Kaikōura

Manakau was my very first PurePod back in 2021, and clearly it hooked me!

This one has a short nature walk from the carpark, a friendly pīwakawaka (fantail) showed me the way through a small forest patch until I saw the PurePod sitting regally up on its own rural throne.

It feels like you’ve got the whole region to yourself here, there’s rolling farmland in all directions with the Seaward Kaikōura Range standing tall in the background, and you’re only a short drive from all the best things to do in Kaikōura.

There’s another pod on the other side of the same farm called Kahutara which overlooks the Kahutara River with the mountains behind it too, so if Manakau is booked up or you want more of a rugged and raw vibe, check that one out.

Booking.com guest score: 9.4/10

Sustainability

The entire PurePods concept is built around giving guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in the natural environment, while treading on it as lightly as possible.

All lighting and heating is solar-powered, wastewater goes through a filtration system before being released to water the native plants, all cleaning products are eco-friendly and the pods are free of single-use plastics.

Even the pods themselves are designed to blend in rather than stand out, they’re hidden from public view and some of them are surprisingly hard to spot until you’re standing right in front of them haha.

They also support The Cacophony Project’s mission to make New Zealand predator-free, and they partner with landowners who share the commitment to conservation.

Practical tips for staying at a PurePod

• Wear farm-friendly shoes: The tracks can be a mix of gravel and grass with the occasional muddy patch, so leave the white sneakers or jandals in the car and wear something you don’t mind getting dirty.
• Pack light in a backpack or duffel bag you can carry easily: Wheelie suitcases and farm paddocks are not friends, just pack what you need for the night into something you can sling over your shoulder (or make two trips if you really need more stuff with you).
• Pack warm layers: Pretty much everywhere in New Zealand gets chilly once the sun drops below the horizon, even in summer, and you’ll want to be warm enough to stand out under the stars at night.
• Get the hamper: Most pods are a fair drive from the nearest supermarket, and no one wants to haul groceries up a farm path.
• But still bring snacks: I know this is a me problem but I cannot go aaaanywhere without having my own snacks. It stems from that time I got quarantined on a tropical island in the Philippines when Covid first started and we didn’t have the chance to grab our own food beforehand (we were kept fed, it was completely fine, but it still panics me 😂).
• Bring some screen-free entertainment: There is one USB port to charge something if you need it but it’s slow and there’s no WiFi anyway, better to take something to read, make or play instead.
• Save your directions while you’re still in service: There’s a good chance your mobile data will cut out before you get to the carpark, so screenshot the arrival email and download offline maps before you set off to avoid getting lost.

How to book a PurePod

Book direct through the PurePods website for the best prices, you can search your travel dates here and see what pods are available for your preferred dates.

You need to book in advance if you’ve got your heart set on a particular pod or if you’re hoping to stay on a weekend, public holiday or in peak season.

PurePods New Zealand FAQ

Final verdict: Are PurePods worth it?

This will come as a shock to no one, my answer is obviously yes.

Every pod I’ve visited has been a highlight of that trip, each time I’m impressed by the location and outlook, and the novelty of waking up in a glass box to sunrise over the mountains, coast or farm hills still hasn’t worn off. Oh, and that hamper always hits the spot!

If you’re looking for something different to add to your New Zealand itinerary, or if you’re a local who desperately needs to unplug and lower your cortisol levels, book yourself a PurePod for a night and thank me later 🥰

MORE UNIQUE ACCOMMODATION IN NEW ZEALAND

If you love squeezing some offbeat places to stay into your travel itineraries, I’ve got some more options around Aotearoa for you:

• High Country Cabin in Twizel
• The Nest Treehouse in the Waitaki Valley
• Cross Hill Domes near Wānaka
• The best glamping spots in New Zealand