A chill cruise through farm and forestry land up in the hills, with outlooks across the rolling country and a few cool things to see along the way. Waitara Road makes a scenic alternative to the main road, and it's a popular way to skip a stretch of boring highway heading to Napier.

Link it up with Pohokura Road and you've got a full loop back to SH5, which turns the detour into a decent round trip through some lovely country.