Tāima PurePod - Ōtākou / Otago, NZ
TāIMA PUREPOD
The Long Way Around - BEAR’s Guide to New Zealand’s South Island
Location: Cromwell, New Zealand. The exact location of your private oasis won’t be revealed until your booking is confirmed.
PurePods have a pretty good thing going. Sixteen tiny cabins scattered across New Zealand in some of the country’s most wildly beautiful locations. But these aren’t your average cabins - they’re made almost entirely of glass. Peace and tranquillity come in abundance here (peep the latest Instagram reel to hear the sounds of Cromwell for yourself). The whole experience is intentional: park the car, leave it behind (along with all your worries) and walk to your pod. Disconnect to reconnect. It feels ritualistic.
The carpark for Tāima PurePod had a view so speccy that we sat there for a while before even beginning the walk in. Once ready, we left our belongings behind and made our way on foot to the glasshouse. The walk itself was short - roughly 300 metres - following old tracks once used to channel water for sluicing during the gold mining days. Naturally, we spent most of the walk fantasising about stumbling across a gold nugget embedded in the path.
Perched amongst rocky terrain in Cromwell, Central Otago, Tāima PurePod overlooks Kawarau Gorge and the rugged surrounding mountains - the views are astounding. Sitting 350m above sea level, Tāima PurePod blessed us with low-lying cloud in the morning, transforming our stay into something a little more mythical. The terrain is how I would imagine Joshua Tree to look. Even the entrance to Bannockburn (a neighbouring suburb) had ranch-like charm to it.
I was lucky enough to stay at Tāima PurePod to capture content for the PurePods team, and they had left behind one of their food hampers - available as an optional add-on. When I say we didn’t stop eating for two days straight, I’m not exaggerating. Everything was beautifully prepared and ready to go, right down to the pre-made salad with a tiny jar of dressing on the side. The steak only needed cooking, the generous cubes of herby butter were just waiting to melt across freshly grilled cuts. The hamper was the most thoughtfully stocked food hamper I’ve come across and would absolutely be worth the extra spend!
After filling our tummies we stretched out on the deck and absorbed every last ray of sunshine from golden hour. Eyes closed, faces turned towards the warmth, glass of wine in hand, and not a single sound around us - my idea of heaven looks a lot like that afternoon.
When the sun dropped behind the mountains, we had hot showers and hopped into bed to watch the stars. With an entirely glass ceiling, it was almost impossible not to stargaze!! You might be thinking “Bear, wasn’t it freezing sleeping in a glass box in the middle of a New Zealand winter??” and to that I would say absolutely not, the PurePods are engineered to perfection with double-glazed glass, sturdy insulation, and heating that kept us extra cosy while the outside temperature sat somewhere between brisk and biting. Privacy was also carefully considered and PurePod headquarters, so there’s no need to worry about visitors peering into your little glass sanctuary.
Mornings in a new place always call for a walk. I think it’s one of the best ways to properly explore. I wandered around the skirts of the property listening to birds calling good morning and the crunch of frost underfoot. The air was so cold and clean you could feel it in the base of your lungs.
When it was time to leave, I was genuinely sad. I could stay weeks at this beautiful property. The outside world felt so far away.
Stray beautiful,
BEAR.
No robots were involved in the making of this journal.