Heading up into the Rakaia River high country, this one rewards you with sweeping views out over the central divide. It's exposed and windy country, with a bit of everything the South Island's known for.

Mostly long, well-compacted gravel straights, with a few fords, minor river crossings and bridges along the way. The road runs through several working farms, so it stays well maintained and easy to drive. What used to be a rougher, rockier top section, moderately difficult with rocks for about 10k, has been improved to good compacted gravel for most of its length. Near the end the surface turns to larger river stones.

At the finish you've got the Rakaia itself, where you can drive along the riverbed when levels are low. The steep dip down into the river at the very end may be too much for some vehicles' approach angle, but a signposted DOC track on the southern end of Double Hill gets you right to the river edge. River access here also marks the start of some more challenging tracks. Well worth the trip up the valley.