Godley Head Trail Run

The Godley Head Trail
submitted by Arpan DeAngelo
Distance: 5 - 7 miles
Terrain: Steep Undulating
Highlights:
Fabulous ocean views,
Incredible Coastline,
lots of sheep

The Godley Head trail run starts at a beach called 'Taylors Mistake' just outside of Christchurch on the east coast of the South Island. There are numerous routes you can take so the run can vary from about 5 miles to over 7 miles.

The trail begins at the north end of the Taylors Mistake beach. It is mostly a dry grass hilly switchback trail with incredible shoreline views of the sea and bays. Great views of the beach and surfers getting smaller as you ascend to the top.

At the top you have to traverse to the other side of the small mountain or big hill you just ran up and you get to a parking lot with restroom facilities and water. This is for people who wanted to drive up and unfortunately could not experience the great views and experiences you just had on the other side.

After you cross the parking lot you come to another bay which leads into Littleton Harbor. You can see very large ships coming and going in a spectacular panoramic view which I included in the gallery. You also will run into some gentle and friendly sheep, which happen to be New Zealand's largest population.

Make sure you bring sun screen and a hat as there are no trees to protect you from the harmful rays. Although it is not a super long run and you can get water at the top, you should probably bring a small water bottle as well. In the summer it can get quite hot up there.

After you descend you should have some swimming gear and enjoy the great beach. Also a boogey booard or surf board would be fun, especially for beginnners as the waves did not seem to be too huge or dangerous.

I think the beach was named after an explorer named Taylor who thought he had found Littleton Harbor but was just shy of the real harbor which is huge compared to this one which is now called Taylors Mistake. But it would not be a mistake on your part to get over there by foot, car or public transportation and enjoy a spectacular run. For deatails on exactly how to get there you could consult a map or a native Kiwi. Although the sheep live there and know the area quite well, they only seem to have a negative answer for everything you ask them, always saying "baa, baa, baa," to everything.