Sleeping in a glass cabin: Manakau PurePod, Kaikoura New Zealand

by ling and jace

home / Back to New zealand

Inside the Manakau PurePod, Kaikoura New Zealand — *Sleeping in a glass cabin*

We want to be immersed in nature as often as possible. For a few days in Kaikōura, we had the chance to experience this, with so much taking place between the sea and sky. Even when we went inside there was little separation from the outdoors because we slept in a cabin made of glass.

We stayed in the Manukau PurePod on New Zealand’s south island. Glass cabins like this have been set up in some of the most beautiful locations around the country. They are focused on slow, sustainable travel and are frequently linked to conservation or regeneration projects.

On our first day, we left the car at a farm gate and walked for about a kilometre to get to the cabin. The trip in made us feel so far from everything else—surrounded only by New Zealand’s Southern Alps.

Aerial view of the Manakau Purepod, Kaikoura New Zealand — *Manakau Purepod, shot from a private hiking trail*

Front deck of the Manakau Purepod — *Front deck of the Manakau PurePod*

Mountain view from the Manakau PurePod — *View from the hiking trail around the Manakau PurePod*

What to do during a stay at the Manakau PurePod

The Manakau PurePod makes for one of the most unique stays because it is surrounded by mountains, but only 20 minutes’ drive from the ocean. The wider region is perfect for nature lovers.

On a trip to the Manakau PurePod, you’ll have plenty of time to reconnect with nature. If you like an active getaway, there are private hikes and picnic spots on the property to enjoy throughout the day. If you want to slow down and immerse yourself in the surroundings, you can do so from the comfort of your bed—the PurePod is so isolated that the only sounds are sheep and bird calls, and you’ll have unobstructed views of the mountains. At night, you’ll get incredible views of the stars as it’s far from any light pollution.

If you make the short drive to Kaikōura, you’ll also have a very high chance of seeing dolphins, seals and whales all year round. Kaikōura is on the edge of a tectonic plate and there are huge underwater canyons. Sperm whales dive and hunt giant squid in the deep waters, then come up to the bay to take a breath.

To see whales, we’d recommend taking a two hour whale watching cruise or a 30 minute scenic flight (longer flight options are also available, like this one which includes two unbelievable alpine landings). Sperm whales make one of the loudest sounds of all animals, using it to navigate and communicate, and even to hunt, stun and kill prey. The whale watching cruise guides use hydrophones to pick up their clicks from kilometres away, and then sail over as quickly as possible.

Coastal road in Kaikoura, New Zealand — *Road from the Manakau PurePod to Kaikōura (20 minutes’ drive)*

Whale watching cruise in Kaikoura New Zealand — *Whale watching cruise from Kaikōura*

Sperm whale tail in Kaikoura, New Zealand — *Sperm whale tail, shot from a two hour whale watching cruise*

View of the mountains and water in Kaikoura, New Zealand — *Oceans and mountains in Kaikōura*

Hiking around the Manakau PurePod and Kaikoura

There are many hikes in the area around the Manakau PurePod. The most impressive one is a private trail on the property itself. Right from the glass cabin, a marked trail leads through the rugged landscape and 500 metres high into the hills. When you make a booking at the Manakau PurePod, there is also an option to add a luxurious food hamper of local produce, and we’d recommend setting aside a day to explore the surrounding areas with a picnic out in the open.

If you have more time, one of the most beautiful coastal hikes on the South Island of New Zealand is the Peninsula Walkway from Kaikōura. Other than one hill at the start, the walkway follows a flat trail for 11.7 kilometres along the water. It can be split into smaller sections or takes around 3 hours to complete the full loop.

At the start of the Peninsula Walkway, there is a huge seal colony on the flat and rocky landscape. Seal pups can usually be seen here between April and September. To get to the seal colony, we’d recommend parking at the Point Kean carpark, then walking around two headlands to the large rocks. There are also incredible opportunities to get close to seals and dolphins during your stay, like this half-day kayak trip or this sunset kayak trip, or on pedal boats.

Aerial image of the Manakau PurePod, Kaikoura New Zealand — *View of the walk to the Manakau Purepod*

Start of the Peninsula Walkway, Kaikoura New Zealand — *The start of the* *Peninsula Walkway, Kaikōura*

Watching seals in Kaikoura, New Zealand — *Watching seals on the Kaikōura Peninsula*

Seal Colony in Kaikoura, New Zealand — *Seal Colony on the Kaikōura Peninsula*

Close up seal in Kaikoura, New Zealand — *Seal Colony on the Kaikōura Peninsula*

Conservation at the Manakau PurePod

The Manakau PurePod has a lower environmental impact because it’s solar-powered and runs with water from the mountains above. But even though it is off-grid, it doesn’t feel completely disconnected. The cabin has everything you’d need from hot water to heating, a fridge, bbq, stove and a complete bathroom and shower.

PurePods are focused on conservation. Half of the founding shareholding profits from the organisation go towards The Cacophony Project, a not-for-profit and open source project which is focused on making New Zealand predator-free to bring back bird song. With the funds raised so far, The Cacophony Project have developed an inexpensive bird monitoring device to track bird numbers and identify individual species, a thermal camera that automatically counts the number of predators with artificial intelligence, and a series of traps for catching predators.

The Manakau PurePod, in particular, is focused on regeneration. To get to the glass cabin we walked through a small forest of kanuka trees, which are an important part of recovering the area from deforestation, helping to revert farmland back to native bush, preventing erosion, and sheltering other species as they regrow.