Alpine Cubes

Chloe Clearwater grew up in Aoraki/Mt Cook Village and husband Brad spent his youth holidaying in Otematata, so securing land at the foot of the

Ben Ōhau range — roughly halfway between the pair's respective childhood lodestones — was “a manifested dream”. They had to fit this dream into 50m² (as per the rules for a minor dwelling) while accommodating a convivial number of heads on pillows. Chloe tackled this space challenge herself before employing an architect: “I spent a lot of time on the floor plan, trawling through Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration, cutting up the plan and sticking it back together until it all fit.”

The resulting Alpine Cubes structure has a svelte footprint that belies its six-person girth and offers a clever counterpoint to the wide-open expanses outside the windows. The star-beckoning skylights and outdoor hot tub keep visitors close to the region's celestial goods, and the absence of window coverings means that nature is in charge of when they wake up.

Mānuka Terrace, Twizel. 027 655 7076, on Airbnb.