Omarama sits in the Waitaki basin, a wide, high, dry valley in the lee of the Southern Alps, and the land around it has the stripped look of the South Island's high country, with tawny tussock slopes, braided rivers and a huge sky. Omarama is best known to pilots, since the wind that comes over the mountains makes it one of the best gliding sites in the world.
Close to the village, a short side road leads to the Clay Cliffs, a set of eroded gravel and silt pinnacles and ridges, formed by the uplift of old glacial deposits and carved by rain, that look like something from another planet. It is private land and there is a small access fee, a fair price for a surprising walk. The hot afternoon sun on the cliffs gives them a golden colour.
Riding here means big country and big wind. State Highway 8 runs along the valley and crosses the Lindis Pass to the south, with long fast straights and sweeping views over the basin to the Ben Ohau range. The surface is good, the traffic is moderate and the bends are open, but crosswinds can be strong, and temperatures swing from hot to cold in a few hours. On a warm day, the lakes of the Waitaki, with their pale turquoise water coloured by glacial flour, are cold, inviting places for a swim, though the water is mountain cold and cooling.
Omarama has a petrol station, a handful of cafes and a few places to stay, and the Twizel and Otematata townships nearby offer more services. Fuel stops are not frequent in this region, so make use of them. Summer days are long and dry, and winter brings heavy frosts that can leave the shady corners icy, so the best months for this ride are from November to March.