Walking From Sumner to Taylors Mistake, Christchurch

If you’re hanging out in Sumner and feel like a bit of exercise while seeing some awesome views, the walk to Taylors Mistake could for you. There are several tracks in this area giving you plenty of options, whether you’re looking for a long walk or a short one. You can walk to Taylors Mistake all the way from Sumner, park up at the Scarborough end and go from there, start up the hill a little (Nicholson Park) or even keep walking past Taylors Mistake and do the Godley Head Track.

Sumner / Scarborough Beach

These two beaches sit side by side — I thought it was just one beach the first time I visited. Sumner is a cool area with a cave and a few places to eat, while the Scarborough end isn’t as built up (only one place to eat by the looks of it).

Walking along Sumner Beach, Christchurch, New Zealand

Flowers Track

From Scarborough Beach you’ll soon see the Flowers Track, which connects the beach with Nicholson Park. It’s a short track with some nice views over Sumner towards the top. You’ll meet up with the Scarborough Walk — turning left will take you to a viewpoint, with the right-hand side heading up to the Nicholson Park car park.

If you want to cut down the walk a little you can park there. Cross the car park and you’ll see the Scarborough Walk sign. Nicholson Park is worth checking out for the views even if you aren’t going further towards Taylors Mistake.

Scarborough Walk

This track takes you along the cliffs between Scarborough Beach and Taylors Mistake. There are some stunning views on offer pretty much the whole way there. The track is fairly easy and there are a few seats along the way if you need a rest.

Taylors Mistake Walk

After a while you’ll see a sign saying “Taylors Mistake Walk” — it’s the same track though. You’ll soon see Taylors Mistake (it’s a beach in case you didn’t know!) and the track drops steadily towards sea level.

There’s a small cove just before the beach and one last hill to walk over. The beach itself is quite different from nearby Sumner and Scarborough — it’s a small sheltered bay with black sand and cool looking headlands.

Godley Head Walk

If you’re feeling fit you could continue your walk to Godley Head. The Godley Head Track is my favourite walk in Christchurch — so many great views! I’d generally recommend doing these two walks separately, although if you have someone who could pick you up at Taylors Mistake afterwards it’d be the perfect day walk.

The Details

It took me around 90-minutes to walk to Taylors Mistake and back. I parked at Nicholson Park and walked down to Scarborough and back, and then to Taylors Mistake. Sumner is a short drive from the city centre and it’s an easy place to catch a bus to. You could spend an entire day in the area if you love walking, but there are also beach bars and some nice cafés. It’s a popular spot for surfing too.

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Jon Algie

I'm a South Island local -- born in Timaru and raised in Dunedin. I left the island in 2006 and returned 10 years later. Having seen a good chunk of the world I realised how special this place is -- the most beautiful island in the world! Seven years (and almost 400 posts) later I'm still helping locals and tourists alike plan their trips around the South Island.

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