Te Onepoto (Taylor's Mistake)

Te Onepoto or Taylors Mistake is located to the south-east of Christchurch, New Zealand and is a bay at the northern end of the Banks Peninsula. Te Onepoto means short or little beach in Maori and was originally called Vincent’s Bay. The name is associated with Captain Taylor as he mistook his destination assuming it was Lyttleton Harbour or Sumner Bay. During WW2 there were two machine gun posts on the hills above the beach to protect Godley Head. The area is popular with surfers and swimmers and has many hiking walks and trails. You can also enjoy sunbathing or having a BBQ.

Te Onepoto is a 35 minutes bus ride away from Christchurch and the Taylor’s Mistake bus service departs from Ferry Road and stops at Nayland Street multiple times a day. The bay is great for bird-watching and visitors can spot the silver gull, oystercatcher, pied cormorant, plover and silvereye.  There are many trails you can enjoy with the Taylors Mistake Track being the most popular. It is a scenic walk that starts at the Surf Club and ends at Nicholson Park. It is about 2.1km and takes an hour to go one way. You can enjoy breath taking views as you make your way up and around the jagged cliffs.