This loop hike round the Awaroa/Godley Head peninsula begins and ends in the quaint seaside hamlet known as Te Onepoto in Māori: "short beach", or, in English: Taylor's Mistake - a great name of hazy provenance.
Off I go!
On the north side of the peninsula, the path follows the shoreline, and we try not to think about earthquakes and crumbling cliffs.
The overcast day was giving us a muted color palette, but the succulents were going off. Also going off: shirtless runner bros.
Eventually the sun did come through a bit... unfortunately, shade was scarce on this hike, and all the good resting spots were taken.
Around the eastern tip of the peninsula, we come upon some historic WWII gun "eplacements" - you might be wondering, wait, did NZ see any action in WWII? And the answer would be yes! German subs supposedly attempted to mine the entrance to Lyttleton harbor, but the big guns on this hill scared them off.
More WWII-era buildings on the southern flank of the peninsula.
Whew. Made it back to Taylor's mistake! What a great hike, about 2.5 hours, not too hilly, many points of interest! I guess I've become one of those dads that stops and reads the historical markers. But, are you truly a dad until you repeat the information to someone else with an air of authority?
Hike map:
