Full-Day Godley Head Coastal Hike with Picnic Lunch
Description
Enjoy a stunning guided walk along the Godley Head Loop Track, one of the most breathtaking hikes in Christchurch. Your guide picks you up from your accommodation and transports you to Taylors Mistake Beach, where the adventure begins. Take in world-class views as you traverse the ancient crater of an extinct volcano and enjoy one of New Zealand's most beautiful coastlines with an experienced local guide. This well-maintained loop track spans 8-10 km (5-6 miles) and takes approximately 3 hours to complete, allowing plenty of time to soak in the scenery. Hot drinks at a local café, morning snacks, and a gourmet picnic lunch are all included. Along the way, you'll see recently restored historic WWII landmarks, an Antarctic cabin, a penguin colony, and charming little huts. Visit Boulder Bay, a secluded beach with views over Pegasus Bay and the majestic Southern Alps. Wildlife sightings may include seals, dolphins, and native birds. This day tour begins and ends in Christchurch City.
Tour Options
Itinerary
After hotel pick up, your guide will entertain you with the history of Christchurch on the 20-minute drive to Sumner Beach in a 12-seater van. Here you will enjoy a hot drink on the deck of a seaside cafe overlooking the ocean and Cave Rock. This is a beautiful landmark and a great start to the day.
Your next stop is Taylors Mistake Beach (10 minutes drive), a beautiful black sand surf beach, with quaint little baches. Here your guide will hand out backpacks, poles, lunch, water bottles, and snacks, and prepare you for the walk.
The next three hours will be spent walking Godley Head Loop Track, one of Christchurch's most beautiful hikes. Sights include Scott's Hutt (an Antarctic Cabin), WW2 Gun emplacements, a penguin colony, and coastal views in all directions. Picnic lunch will be enjoyed at a remote beach along the way with historic cabins, where we often encounter wildlife such as seals, dolphins, and many birds. Your walk returns to Taylors Mistake Beach, for a relaxing drive back to your pick-up location.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We provide free hotel pick-up within a 5km radius of the central city. Please let us know your accommodation when you book. If you are staying further out, we can arrange a place to meet you in the city.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(165)
Nicole was a great tour guide, she was very professional, on time, easy to talk to and knowledgeable. We were pleasantly surprised with the early beach spot , which was an excellent way to start. Riharri was also a great guide and provided an Moriori perspective that was very valuable to us All in all a wonderful experience which I would highly recommend
Thank you, so great to hear you enjoyed your day with Nicole & Rihari, feedback much appreciated.
Highly recommended for nature lovers! Nicole decided to push through with this walk even though I am a solo traveller. That alone already made me special. She was very accommodating and light hearted I did not even feel I was walking for 2 and a half hours. She was also excellent in taking stunning photos which added to the quality of this walk. Healthy snacks and hearty lunch were also served. Godley Head and Crater Rim Walk turns out to be one of my highlights while in Christchurch and is definitely worth multiple tries.
Thank you Reggie! It was really fun spending the day with you, and it's so nice to hear it was a highlight for you. I hope the rest of your trip goes really well - come back again soon! Nicole
This full day walking tour was wonderful, for two main reasons. 1) Our guide Ita was a delight, very pleasant and kind, a good listener, and full of knowledge. 2) The weather was absolutely perfect, it could not have been better! The pace of the walk could have been a little slower, but then that’s an individual preference. A yummy morning tea and lunch was supplied. Thoroughly recommend this guided walking tour.
Thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed the day with Ita:-)
We did a 6-hour excursion with our wonderful guide, Heidi, today. It exceeded our expectations and the photos don’t really do it justice. The whole experience was just perfect with amazing views and a really enjoyable tramp along the coastline.
Thank you this is lovely to hear. All the best with the rest of your time in NZ.
This was an incredibly beautiful, 6 mile hike along the permitter of a volcano crater and Godley Head. Our super friendly hike leader Dee gave us historical and cultural information. of the ares. A delicious picnic lunch was also served along with group photos sent to us after the hike. Kudos yo Crater Rim Walks in Christ Church!
Thanks so much! Glad to hear you had a great time with Dee and also enjoyed the lunch and photos.
The hike was longer and harder than described. The views were wonderful! Definitely needed the hiking poles at points.
Thank you for your feedback, we will take that onboard, so glad you enjoyed it despite it being harder than expected.
A great day out hiking around Godley Head with Kate as our guide and a lovely American couple. The views were amazing and the whole day reminded us of how much we enjoy hiking. We were due to do the half day hike, however, due to circumstances, ended up doing the full day - a fortunate twist of circumstances for us, as this is now the option we would thoroughly recommend! The experience was very relaxed and the detour on the way back past Littleton port was a great addition. Thank you so much for a wonderful day!
Thanks so much for your review, so glad you enjoyed the longer version of the walk and your time on the Crater Rim!
My husband and I did the Crater Rim Walk with Nicole and it was amazing! It was a perfect day and we had a great time. She was very knowledgeable, accommodating and friendly. We felt very relaxed throughout the day and were able to take the walk at our own pace. I would highly recommend this tour if you are looking to do the Crater Rim Walk with an expert who helps guide you through the trail and makes sure you feel comfortable.
Thank you, it was lovely to meet you both!
great hike with breath taking views, a fun lunch and interesting history about the area. Highly recommend
Thank you!
An excellent day. Picked up at our hotel, scenic drive, beach stop, great day hike about 6 miles, beautiful scenery. Lots of interesting info from our guide about the area and history. Great packed lunch.
Thank you Sally! Glad to hear you had a great day on your Crater Rim adventure:-)
