Sleep Somewhere Unforgettable: New Zealand’s Most Unique Stays
Unique Stays in New Zealand: The Most Extraordinary Places to Stay in the North & South Island
Posted in December 2025
In a world full of cookie-cutter hotels, unique has become the new measure of luxury. And when it comes to unique places to stay in New Zealand, our collection includes some of the most coveted luxury escapes on the map - if we do say so ourselves. From cliffside luxury tents sitting high above the Pacific, glass-walled pods immersed in total wilderness, and coastal hideaways where your only neighbour is an empty beach occasionally visited by curious wildlife.
Whether you’re hunting for the best unique stays in New Zealand, eyeing a dreamy weekend of glamping in NZ, or plotting a North or South Island escape that’s anything but ordinary, consider this your insider guide. These are the places our well-travelled designers gush about, the ones guests book time and time again.
Welcome to the round-up of New Zealand’s most breathtaking, wonderfully unusual, and truly unforgettable unique stays.
Clifftops Andersons Cove – North Island
Cliffside drama meets safari-inspired luxury
If you’ve ever wanted to live out a luxury safari fantasy, but make it coastal, chic and unapologetically indulgent, Clifftops Andersons Cove is your place. Perfectly located high above the Pacific with uninterrupted ocean views, this tented pavilion delivers the romance, isolation and exclusivity you’d expect from one of the most unique places to stay in New Zealand.
You can expect plush beds, an outdoor hot tub with sea breezes, and a glamping-meets-luxury-lodge setup that sits worlds beyond traditional glamping in NZ. Just 90 minutes north of Auckland, Andersons Cove offers two A-list hideaways on a privately owned 40-hectare coastal property between Te Arai/Mangawhai and Langs Beach, complete with an electric golf cart for cruising down to the private beach, a breezy 200–300 metres away.
Inside, it’s pure lodge-level comfort: Miele appliances, a Weber BBQ, high-speed Starlink WiFi and a fully off-grid, solar-powered setup with generator backup. Staff presence is discreet — you may not see a soul unless you’ve requested housekeeping or a delivery of local food and wine.
And then there’s the property itself: citrus groves, seasonal berries, a potager garden and orchard to forage through, nikau-lined bushwalks, wildflower meadows made for wandering, and an 800-metre beach with all-tide swimming and rock pools waiting to be explored.
Why it’s a unique stay
Because “tent” feels like a wildly inadequate word. This is open-air luxury with a cinematic vantage point - one of the most unique places to stay in the North Island of New Zealand.
Wild Canvas Pohutukawa Tent – North Island
Glamping NZ, but elevated - literally and figuratively
Tucked beneath a canopy of pōhutukawa and open to a sweep of star-drenched skies, glamping in NZ steps into its luxury era at Wild Canvas Pohutukawa Tent. Remote, private and beautifully placed in one of the North Island’s most scenic pockets, this isn’t your standard tent-in-a-field moment, this is villa-level luxury.
Inside, it feels more like an off-grid design retreat than anything remotely resembling camping. A full indoor kitchen lets you cook properly (or hand the reins to a private chef). The indoor fireplace is perfect for slow, wine-fuelled evenings, while underfloor heating keeps the entire space cozy. The tent itself is fully insulated with double-glazed windows, so you get all the atmosphere of the great outdoors without the chill that comes with it. With off-grid power, everything runs quietly, cleanly, and effortlessly.
And then there’s the outlook - a panoramic, 360-degree sweep across the serene landscapes of Waitomo. Morning light drifts in, evenings glow gold, and the nights offer absolutely sensational stargazing.
Why it’s a unique stay
This stay blends true wilderness immersion with unadulterated luxury, panoramic solitude, proper insulation, underfloor heating, and an indoor fireplace, making it one of the North Island’s few glamping stays that feels genuinely luxurious rather than rustic.
PurePods – North & South Island
Glass-wrapped wilderness in its purest form
At a PurePod, the outdoors isn’t something you simply admire — it’s something you are fully immersed in. These iconic glass eco-cabins (floor, ceiling, even the roof) drop you straight into the landscape with nothing but the wild surroundings for company. With 16 New Zealand-wide locations from Waitomo to Kaikōura to Stewart Island, every PurePod is private, remote and immersed in nature.
On warm days, slide back the glass doors on three sides and let the landscape spill in; on cooler nights, stay cocooned in warmth while watching rain fall across the transparent roof or drifting off beneath the Southern Cross. Even with the doors closed, you’re never shut out, the pod keeps nature front and centre, all year round.
Why it’s a unique stay
This is unique accommodation in NZ in its purest form, and quite possibly the best way to experience it. Complete privacy in a glass hut where nature’s sensational spectacle surrounds you day and night.
Seascape - Annandale, South Island
All-out coastal drama - unique luxury in the South Island
On the remote, rugged edge of Banks Peninsula, Seascape sits carved into volcanic rock and opens entirely to the Pacific. Access is by helicopter or a 40-minute 4WD transfer across Annandale’s cliff-top farm tracks, and even the arrival alone sets the tone: dramatic, completely otherworldly.
The villa itself blends into the landscape with a turf roof, stone walls and a glass façade that frames the water like a living canvas. Inside, it’s all stone, glass, fire and elegance — striking but surprisingly comforting. The king-size bed sits elevated above the living area so the view dominates the room, day or night. Even the bathroom is designed for drama, with a slim arrows lit window capturing the coastline’s sculptural rock formations and leading out to the outdoor spa.
Outside, dolphins and seals are regular visitors, often playing in the glittering water below with only you, and the tussock grass, to witness them. It’s intimate, elemental and simply spectacular.
Why it’s a unique stay
Offering access to one of the most secluded spots in the country, this architecturally bold hideaway is where nature takes centre stage and you get uninterrupted, front-row seats.
Scrubby Bay, Annandale – South Island
High-country coastal elegance at its most unique
Situated in its own private bay, Scrubby Bay is a luxurious cedar-clad beach house perfect for families, friends, or special celebrations. Nestled between rolling hills, it accommodates up to 14 guests with three ocean-front suites, a bunk room for eight, a sun-drenched deck, and a spacious open-plan living and dining area filled with books and games.
Access is part of the adventure, either by a scenic helicopter flight or a 45-minute 4WD transfer across cliff-top farm tracks. Here, modern comfort meets rugged charm, and the surrounding 4,000-acre Annandale estate on Banks Peninsula ensures complete privacy, with farmland, open skies, and the sparkling Pacific as your backdrop.
Why it’s a unique stay
Because nowhere else in New Zealand blends isolation, intimacy, and refined coastal design quite like this.
Why Choose a Unique Stay in New Zealand?
True luxury is meaningful experience - connection to place, privacy, and a sense of ’this could only happen here’.
Choosing a unique stay gives you:
- A deeper connection to the land - from cliff edges to wild coastlines
- Privacy and space - many of these escapes are completely exclusive
- Memorable moments - the stories you tell long after checkout
- A sense of adventure and the feeling of discovering something special
These places aren’t just where you sleep - they’re the reason you travel.
Plan Your Unique New Zealand Escape
At Touch of Spice, we specialise in curating the best unique stays in New Zealand, pairing them with private chefs, yacht days, helicopter transfers, and the kind of insider experiences that transform a trip into a story worth telling.
Ready to discover your extraordinary?