Day one of my solo trip in New Zealand began with touching down at 8am on Christchurch. I’d found a climbing partner on Mountain Project before I left but the weather wasn’t quite cooperating. My new friend picked me up from the airport and we headed to Godley Head to a hike a little loop he’d found in a guidebook somewhere. We hoped that it would clear up enough for us to head to a crag and get some routes in.
Godley Head is kind of like the Marin Headlands of Christchurch. During World War 2, the kiwis built the Godley Head battery to protect Lyttleton Harbor. In 1963, the battery closed. Much of the military structures were damaged in the 2011 earthquake but the track to Taylors Mistake is still open. The Godley Battery Compound is currently closed. There are lots of sheep wandering around.
The trail begins at the Godley Head parking lot off Summit Road. It’s is a moderate trail which winds around the hills above Mechanics Bay before wandering over to Harris Bay and down to Taylors Mistake. From Taylors Mistake, the trail picks up at the end of the parking lot and retraces your steps up the hill before splitting away and heads towards Summit Road. After crossing Summit Road, the trail splits; you can opt to head up the hill and down to the parking lot or go right and take the trail to Breeze Col back to the parking lot. The track then hugs the crumbling cliffs above Breeze Bay. Be careful here as there are tons of signs for rockfall.
Gear: Black Diamond Liquid Point Shell, Norrøna Bitihorn Lightweight Pants, Icebreaker Tech T Lite, Mountain Hardwear Desna Grid Jacket, Mountain Hardwear Scrambler 30, Arc’teryx Bora Mid GTX Boots
It looks so much like Northern California!