Positively Pure
An architecturally astounding, off-grid experience that will teach you what it means to unwind in style.
Originally published in Lodestars Anthology’s New Zealand issue, 2018
Kahutara PurePod. Photo: Liz Schaffer
It’s a strange moment in your life when you realise that you’ve never once seen a shooting star. Perhaps unsurprisingly though - I have been a city dweller my whole life, after all.
That all changed though on the first night of our stay in a PurePod - a new type of eco-luxe nature escape that’s been making waves in New Zealand in recent months.
Ask anyone about “those glass boxes” popping across the country, and you’ll be met with equal parts intrigue and apprehension - two emotions that we admittedly also had while driving down the rocky, narrow and unsealed “driveway” to the Kahutara PurePod, 2.5 hours north of Christchurch.
It’s pitch dark by the time we arrive at the carpark. All documentation we received prior to our stay strongly advised us against doing this exact thing, since it’s a further 15 minute, unlit bushwalk to the Pod from here.
Thankfully though, Tony, the farmer who owns Steepdown Farm, on which the Pod is situated, greets us and offers to drive us up the bumpy winding road to our Pod. He uses the short drive to tell us more about the farm, which has been in his family for three generations. He and his wife prioritise sustainability and are constantly looking for ways to reduce their use of chemicals and pesticides on the farm, making them the perfect choice for the environmentally-focused PurePods.
Eventually, we turn a corner and spot a large glass box, which had up to this point been completely secluded and shielded from view by the surrounding mountains and rolling hills.
Any and all apprehension immediately melts away into an instant sense of calm as we switch on the warm lights, see the stylishly minimalist interior and furnishings, feel the underfloor heating on the soles of our feet, and notice the complete lack of reception bars and wi-fi on the screens of our iPhones.
No internet. No power charging sockets. The zen that comes from knowing that there is not a single soul anywhere closeby. Showering while enjoying spectacular views across the surrounding countryside (the exterior bathroom walls are also made of glass).
I’m immediately convinced that luxury off-grid escapes are the way forward.
After settling in, we tuck into our prepared platter of local cheeses, pates, crackers and fresh ciabatta bread as we whip up the salmon fillets and potatoes on the small hob, and sip our Pinot Gris we’d bought earlier from Greystone Wines, an organic winery which happens to be the location of another PurePod.
The view from Kahutara PurePod. Photo: Liz Schaffer.