A short detour off the Desert Road leads in to the water cannon and outlet for the Rangipo dam. The main run is sealed and gravel, easy enough for most vehicles, which makes it a good one with the kids. It's tucked away and rarely busy, and the sheer power of the water gushing out at the inlet is worth the trip alone.

On clear days you'll get good views of snow on the nearby mountains. There's a bit of extra gravel that loops around to the outlet, plus a network of side tracks following the power line maintenance trails up top.

Those detours are fun if you feel like exploring, though they can get scratchy with bush rash. Nothing crazy, and if you'd rather keep it clean you can stick to the easy main route. Good quick stop for a smoko break or to show the kids a remote dam in action.