A picture-perfect pod in paradise
Nestled in the middle of the Southern Alps is a pod that transforms with the click of a button. Brook Sabin and Radha Engling settle in.
I’ve come up with a great concept: the mental massage. Let me explain. It’s a crazy time to be a human: we’re bombarded with so much information, we’re expected to do more than ever, and we’re all feeling, well, a little tired.
So (you’ll like this next bit), it’s time for a mental massage. I’m talking about a little holiday that slows the heartbeat, relaxes the muscles, and that gives your brain a break.
And I think I’ve found it.
It’s a luxury pod in the mountains, where you can lie back in bed and stare at the Southern Alps. And with the flick of a button, the room transforms into the country’s coolest cinema – all to enjoy with just one other person.
You may have been to Glenorchy, a little town at the northern end of Lake Wakatipu.
It’s an hour from Queenstown, although nobody drives it that quickly. The route is full of beauty that distracts at every turn.
When you eventually reach Glenorchy, you need to keep going to find this pod of paradise. We’re heading another 30 minutes around the other side of the lake to the tiny village of Kinloch. Population: just nine people.
You first get a clue you’ve stumbled across a hidden gem before you even arrive: a dirt road.
With tourists pumping through Central
Otago like an amusement park, a dirt road is a sign this tiny bit of the world is untouched by mass tourism.
After weaving through dense native bush for a few kilometres, we emerge at the village of
Kinloch, nestled under the mighty Mt Bonpland.
It’s as if the dirt road rewound the clock. The first building we see dates to the 1860s, when it was The Glacier Hotel and served beer to local sawmill workers.
Fast forward 150 years, and it’s now owned by John and Toni Glover, who lovingly restored the place after it fell into a state of disrepair late last century.
The Glovers have noticed a big trend in recent years: more Kiwis exploring their own backyard. And they are rightly excited to show off their latest creation.
That is EcoScapes – two pods designed to pay homage to the environment and also be friendly towards it – which are packed with a whole lot of green technology.
Walking in, it’s not immediately clear what all the fuss is about, when you’re greeted by a cute little kitchenette and couch. But when you turn into the bedroom, I expect everyone utters one simple word: wow.
The bedroom is designed like a cube, with an enormous window framing Lake Wakatipu and the snow-capped mountains that loom over it.
It reminds me of Buddhist caves, chosen because they eliminate all forms of distraction except the meditative quality of the view.
And the view is truly stunning. We are in the
heart of the mountains, near the crossroads of Mt Aspiring and Fiordland national parks. Outside, the vibrant spring greens compete for attention with the candyfloss clouds swirling around the snow-capped peaks.
We’re all distracted by the view, and it takes a while for anybody to talk. Eventually, Toni reveals she has one more surprise, grabbing an elliptical remote that is about to transform the room.
With the push of a button, blackout blinds start rolling down every window around the cabin. The view begins disappearing behind the curtain and, as it descends, a big red Netflix logo appears – courtesy of a projector above the bed.
Within seconds, the room has become a cinema. And thanks to some innovative wizardry, the remote hut has high-speed internet suitable for streaming.
This is a place where you can enjoy the view by day, then start a Netflix marathon at night.
However, if you prefer to soak up a little more nature, you can watch the stars from the warmth of a hot tub on the deck.
We decided to leave all that and head out to get a glimpse of the Routeburn Track – the entrance isn’t far from the lodge. It’s one of the 10 Great Walks of New Zealand, and some people argue the three-day trek is one of the most picturesque on Earth. If you don’t have time to do the walk, there is an hourlong nature track at the start of the Routeburn that lets you flirt with the majesty of the mountains.
We then headed back across the lake and meandered around the Glenorchy Walkway. This boardwalk weaves through the wetlands and is home to what I think could be New Zealand’s most beautiful chair.
At the end of a boardwalk, perfectly framed by trees, sits a little bench that overlooks the lake and mountains. It’s the kind of sigh-inducing beauty that makes you proud to be a New Zealander.
As magical as that is, the pod reigned supreme. Dinner was served as the mountains turned fiery pink from the last light of the day. John’s stellar cooking shouldn’t be missed. He isn’t a chef by trade but, after 16 years at the stove, he’s built a formidable war chest full of ways to impress the palate.
As night fell, we transformed our pod into a cinema, and finally ended the night in the hot tub under the stars.
Repeat this for a few days, and that is what I call a mental massage. You won’t be disappointed.
The author’s trip was supported by Expedia.