Godley Head
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Taylors Mistake from the Godley Head track 
This is a lovely walk - one of our favourites. A long loop walk, through open countryside, with spectacular views, that offers a good workoput without ever being tough, it has almost everything one could want. It's on-leash for dogs, which may seem a shame, but the walk is across farming country and there are sheep around - and for much of the walk there are also steep slopes and cliffs where it feels a lot safer to have the dogs under direct control. In addition, the coastal section of the path is a popular jogging track, so there are likely to be be other, faster people around.who want to squeeze past now and then.
The opportunities for walks that take in Godley Head are considerable, for the area is part of the Crater Rim walkway, which runs for 25 km or more around the Port Hills. The short and simple version is an 8-9 km loop which includes the World War 2 gun emplacements on the headland, the beach at Taylors Mistake and a section of the ridgeline of the Port Hills. This can conveniently be started at any of the carparks - in Taylors Mistake, on Evans Pass, or at Godley Head itself. |
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One of the best ways to do it is clockwise, starting at Taylors Mistake. From the information board on the south side of the carpark (or equally from the beach), the path passes an iconic row of simple baches before ascending gradually as it follows the coastal path up onto Godley Head. On the way, there are great views across to the east coast beyond Christchurch, as well as interesting glimpses of the volcanic geology of the area in the bays and headlands below. There are also some information boards about the history and settlement of the Port Hills, and the opportunity to drop down into Boulder Bay as a diversion. After thirty minutes or so, the path ascends more steadily and on roughly the one hour mark comes out amid the concrete buttresses and plinths of the gun emplacements on the Head.
From there, the main gravel path leads somewhat unexpectedly southwards and down, on the Lyttleton side of the ridge, where it visits some more gunnery stations before looping back up to the Godley Head carpark. For a shorter alternative, you can take a narrow and grassy path from a gate amidst the pine trees on the western side of the camp area, which leads across the meadows and, with a quick hop across a wooden fenceline, takes you to the carpark just the same. After that, you again have a choice of paths you can follow - the shared footpath over the summit, or one of the two mountain bike tracks that run either side of the Summit Road. The choice doesn't matter much because they all converge on the next carpark along Summit Road, where you cross the road and then follow another series of bifurcating paths back down the north side of the Port Hills into Taylors Mistake. Alternatively, you can continue westwards to Evans Pass - another couple of kilometres or so - and take the track between the two roads, which curls its way back to the start.
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The Godley Head walkway
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Including time to wander around the gun emplacements and admire the views, the whole loop should take asnything from 2 to 4 hours, but because of the range of patths available, you can easily make the walk longer or shorter according to wish. To extend the walk - and add a bit of challenge - you can also start it from the sea front in Sumner and take the Flowers Track and Taylors Mistake Track over the headland into Taylors Mistake. Whatever you choose, I can guarantee that both you and the dogs will enjoy it, and want to come back. Note, though, that from the carpark at Taylors Mistake onwards there's not really any water available en route (one useful but not always clean cattle-trough near the grassy path on Godley Head) - so it's sensible to take some water along for the dogs.
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