Private Tour

Luxury Private Guided Crater Rim Walk on Banks Peninsula

Overview

Available languages

English

6 hours

Mobile ticket

Enjoy a stunning guided walk with a touch of luxury. Your experienced local guide will collect you from Christchurch in a private vehicle and take you on a scenic 20-minute drive to Sumner, the city’s charming seaside suburb. Here you’ll enjoy hot drinks at a local café overlooking the ocean, while hearing fascinating stories about Christchurch’s history.

From Sumner, it’s a short 10-minute drive to Taylors Mistake Beach, where your walk begins. The 8km trail follows the Crater Rim, the edge of an ancient volcanic caldera, offering breathtaking views across the rugged Pacific coastline, Pegasus Bay, and the often snow-capped Southern Alps. Along the way, visit historic WWII coastal defense sites and an Antarctic cabin used for expedition training.

A gourmet picnic lunch is served at a picturesque spot with panoramic views. Total walking time is approximately 3-4 hours, with a relaxed 30-minute lunch break, before returning to Christchurch City in the afternoon.

Additional Info

Service animals allowed

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Bottled water

Walking poles

Transport by luxury SUV

Snacks

Lunch

Private local guide

Hotel pickup

Coffee and/or Tea

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

What To Expect

Sumner Beach (Cave Rock)

After being picked up by your private guide in an SUV, head to Sumner Beach for hot drinks at our local seaside suburb. Sit out on the deck admiring the ocean and Cave Rock.

30 minutes • Admission Included

Taylors Mistake - Awaroa / Godley Head Walk

A beautiful black sand surf beach, with quaint little baches is the starting point of our walking track. Your guide will provide walking poles, bags, lunch, snacks and water before you set off.

30 minutes • Admission Included

Options

Luxury Private Crater Rim Walk

Duration: 6 hours
Lunch, hot drinks, water
Luxury SUV
Luxury Crater Rim Walk: The perfect choice if you would like a private guide, to walk at your own pace, a luxury SUV, and a gourmet picnic lunch.
Pickup included

Reviews

5.00

26 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

great hike with amazing views
shelleyae,
Oct 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
On a cool crisp sunny day in spring, Heidi, our wonderful guide escorted us up and down the trail from Taylor’s Mistake to Boulder Bay. (Godly Head hike). For those of you who are not used to hiking, it is a very doable hike. There are a few steep inclines but generally easy. we were able to set our own pace. (We were a group of four 70 year olds.) Heidi was very informative about the history of the area as well as flora and fauna info and she provided snacks and a delicious lunch! I highly recommend this hike if you are spending a few days in Christ Church!
Wonderful experience
927jodyf,
Oct 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
What a wonderful hike with Helen. She was very friendly and informative. She walked at our pace and made the experience very worthwhile.
Highly recommend The Crater Walk
cindyaG9040MK,
Oct 2, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We had a wonderful day exploring Christchurch with our guide. The views were absolutely beautiful, and we loved learning about the city’s history. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, engaging, and made the experience so enjoyable. We also shared plenty of laughs along the way, which made the day even more memorable. Highly recommend!
Awesome hiking with Nicole
Inspire19062725461,
Aug 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had an awesome trip with our guide Nicole. Even though the weather was cold and raining Nicole made the trek enjoyable and memorable. We highly recommend her and will definitely use her again.
Fantastic hiking tour!
Christie W,
Apr 10, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
We had a fantastic experience on the Crater Rim walking tour! We had perfect weather for our hiking / walking tour and Nicole, our tour guide, was amazing! We were very fortunate to have bonus views of the snow-covered Southern Alps from a snow storm in the mountains the evening before - from our views on Godly Head, the mountains were clearly visible and absolutely spectacular! Nicole was extremely knowledgeable of the area and shared a lot of interesting information - and provided a tasty lunch picnic & snacks along our trek! We highly recommend this tour!
An informative, active and engaging way to spend a morning in Christchurch!
Camper00122704416,
Mar 31, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This is an active way to spend a 1/2 day getting to know the geology and history of Christchurch! Our guide was friendly, informative and fun and we had a great time on this 5.5 mile walk/hike. You will enjoy great views of the coast/bays as well as WWII buildings/gun placements. The terrain is an easy walk, accessible by almost any age/ability.
Crater Rim hike.
Robert M,
Feb 24, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a great hike and lunch with Dee around crater rim. About 8 km hike so we got to see some incredible scenery on the loop.
Beautiful Rim Walk
harryhF1176AM,
Feb 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Our first full day in NZ started with a fabulous 1/2-day Crater Rim Walk! Our guide Dee was energetic and very informative, pleasure to spend time with. The views were amazing and the harbor history was really interesting. We enjoyed a very nice picnic lunch on a stony beach overlooking the sea. The Rim Walk was the perfect way to get started in NZ!
Challenging weather_Great Guide!
jackgH5947HN,
Jan 4, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I am a photographer who went for a walk with Heidi specifically to capture images. She arrived for our appointment on time and, although the weather was less than ideal for photography I could not have been more pleased with our tour. Heidi's creative eye really made a challenging weather day into a very successful shoot. Her local knowledge and engaging personality made this a very memorable experience. I would without reservation recommend Heidi as a tour/photographic guide and I will certainly try to book her again on my return.
Amazing Godley Head hike
MaestralIntl,
Dec 29, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We enjoyed a beautiful and memorable hike on Godley Head with our knowledgeable, professional and engaging guide Nicole. Nicole can fully outfit your group if you like, from packs and water bottles to walking sticks. She gave us a good briefing before the hike and along the way so we knew what to expect. Godley Head is an open trail so there are amazing views all the way. At the summit there are old WWII fortifications and the opportunity to refill water bottles and use restrooms. We were a bit ahead of schedule so Nicole took us to a secluded beach picnic site for a delicious lunch she provided. Just a stunning day from beginning to end and highly recommended.