Best time to surf Taylors Mistake

The best time to surf at Taylors Mistake is July–September, with waves of about 1.6 m and water around 10°C.

Christchurch, Canterbury (Christchurch), New Zealand

Sports: Surfing

Best time to go: July–September

Taylors Mistake (Te Onepoto) is a small sandy bay about 4 km past Sumner, on the eastern edge of Christchurch, below Godley Head on the north side of Banks Peninsula. Taylors Mistake Road ends at the car park next to the surf club, with toilets, changing rooms and a cold shower. Historic baches line the shore, and walking tracks to Godley Head start here. Taylors Mistake Surf Life Saving Club, founded in 1916, patrols the beach at weekends over summer: check safeswim.org.nz for times.

The surf is an exposed beach break with lefts and rights. It works best in a north-east to east swell, though south-easterly to southerly groundswells from the Southern Ocean also get in, with an offshore westerly to south-westerly wind; even a light onshore spoils it. It can work on all tides, and mid tide is often best. Winter, from June to August, has the most clean days, and the summer is often flat.

Small days can suit improving surfers, but in a bigger swell the waves are fast and heavy and close out, which is for experienced surfers. Watch for rips and the rocks at the ends of the bay, and expect a committed local crowd when the surf is good. The water is about 10 °C in August and 19 °C in February: a 5/4 with boots and a hood in winter, a 3/2 in summer.

Month by month at Taylors Mistake

January: 5 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 19°C, air 21°C (nights 13°C), 27 sunny days, 10 rainy days
February: 3 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 19°C, air 21°C (nights 13°C), 24 sunny days, 10 rainy days
March: 5 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 0.9 m, water 18°C, air 19°C (nights 12°C), 25 sunny days, 9 rainy days
April: 2 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 0.8 m, water 16°C, air 17°C (nights 10°C), 23 sunny days, 8 rainy days
May: 2 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 1.2 m, water 13°C, air 15°C (nights 7°C), 21 sunny days, 7 rainy days
June: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.3 m, water 11°C, air 12°C (nights 6°C), 17 sunny days, 12 rainy days
July: 3 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.6 m, water 10°C, air 12°C (nights 5°C), 20 sunny days, 10 rainy days
August: 4 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.7 m, water 10°C, air 12°C (nights 5°C), 23 sunny days, 10 rainy days
September: 3 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.6 m, water 11°C, air 15°C (nights 6°C), 26 sunny days, 10 rainy days
October: 5 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.2 m, water 13°C, air 17°C (nights 8°C), 27 sunny days, 10 rainy days
November: 5 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 0.9 m, water 16°C, air 19°C (nights 11°C), 27 sunny days, 10 rainy days
December: 3 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 0.7 m, water 18°C, air 21°C (nights 13°C), 26 sunny days, 11 rainy days