New Zealand, Otago
Golden tussock hills and long, high speed sweeps through empty high country.
Length
65 km
In miles
40.4 mi
Driving time
1 hr 38 min
Atlas rating
9.1 / 10
The run
Omarama to Tarras, following the SH8. Drive it in either direction, though the views usually favour the climb.
Season
Black ice and snow in winter
Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk
Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. Every road in the library carries a driving and scenery score set by the same method. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 28 April 2026
Nearby
61 km away
Haast Pass
Rainforest and waterfall canyon roads link the lakes to the wild West Coast.
70 km away
Crown Range Road
New Zealand's highest sealed road with a hairpin stack above the Cardrona valley.
134 km away
Milford Road
A glacial valley run to the Homer Tunnel and a fiord surrounded by vertical rock.
241 km away
Arthur's Pass
Braided rivers, beech forest and the dramatic Otira viaduct across an alpine fault.
474 km away
Takaka Hill
Marble mountain switchbacks between Tasman Bay and Golden Bay.
750 km away
Forgotten World Highway
Four saddles, a gorge and a tunnel, on a road that feels a century out of date.
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