Over the horizon: High and dry with a taste of coast

Breezes usually pick up as the day progresses in the Maniototo, here on the way out of Ranfurly towards Palmerston. Photo by Peter MacKenzie.

Ride 1: Round road tripto the Maniototo Distance: 275km round trip.
Estimated riding time without stops: 2 hours each way.

When anticyclones come to sit over the lower South Island it's a pleasure to ride into Otago without needing waterproofs on a day trip.

When anticyclones centre over your target area there's only a light warm breeze to cut through and the temperatures mean you need only light gear with no thermals - perfect conditions.

Just such a day recently was a perfect time to visit Ranfurly, the Maniototo's Art Deco destination, travelling on State Highway 87.

South out of Dunedin past Mosgiel, carry on along SH1 and turn right at the airport turnoff, then right again not far past the overbridge to follow Allanton Rd to Outram.

Left at the town and then right to follow the Lee Stream Outram Rd up SH87.

It's a lovely climb up the hill with a good road surface, levelling out as you pass by farms on mildly undulating roads with big, open corners.

Lake Mahinerangi Rd comes up on the left, with a gradual climb to Clarks Junction, then a drop down to the Deep Stream bridge, back on the throttle, and up again.

Middlemarch offers a place to stop for refreshments, then there's some mighty straights on towards Hyde, past the road to Macraes on the right.

It's great to trickle past the rugged Rock and Pillar range and admire the strikingly distinctive outcrops that visually define this area.

Coming to a T-intersection turn left at Kyeburn and head off for Ranfurly, a good spot for lunch or coffee.

Plus, there's fuel available if the bike needs a top-up too.

Back out of town the way you came and keep heading towards the Pacific on SH85, the Pig Root, along through a landscape of burnt-brown, high-altitude beauty.

Heading into Dunback, on the right you can see the other end of the road to Macraes that started near Hyde.

Just afterwards are S-bends that have caught a few people out, then on to Palmerston, with a lovely stone church on the left as you're coming into town.

At the main street (SH1), turn right to head south and press on towards and through Waikouaiti.

Not long afterwards on the left is the Coast Rd which takes you to fishing village Karitane.

You snake past the estuary and on up the hill to an elevated lookout with a splendid view of the coastline north.

Winding your way past Seacliff, be wary of the rail crossings and tight corners as you head back to Warrington.

You'll get back to SH1 where you turn left to head back into Dunedin.

Much of this journey is interspersed with large-scale dips, the uphills testing a bike's ability to work against gravity and the descents the engine's ability to resist gravity's pull and hold your rate of progress with its compression.

The combinations of gradients, huge open turns and the odd tight, twisty bit are a satisfying mix that keeps a rider alert.

The Maniototo's grand panoramas create a sense of being almost in the sky, with views of spectacular cloud formations inspiring an amazing sense of space.

The Coast Rd gives a refreshing taste of salt air at sea level, plus climbs to lookouts along rugged receding beach heads.