On 16 December 1885, at Taylor’s Mistake which was already was in mystery and maritime drama, a cut off hand was found by two men fishing off the rocks. The men discovered a ring still on it, the hand was claimed by a Mrs Sarah Howard as the hand was her husband’s. Mr Arthur Howard’s clothing had been found on Sumner beach on 11 October 1885. Mr Howard, who was a mechanic had life insurance of 1 million was a considerable amount of money for this time. Soon police was involved and they started to look further into the case. The outcomes led to the two fishermen and Mrs Howard being arrested for conspiracy to defraud an insurance company. Mr Howard was later tracked down in Petone, at a YMCA picnic (with his both hands intact) and was arrested. The hand was later identified and belonged to a woman but the woman herself was never found.
The Godley Head Walk is 4 hours and 8 minutes from Auckland. The walkway is all around the hill above Mechanics Bay. From there it carries on the Boulder Bay and Taylors Mistake walkway. While walking make sure you keep your eyes out on the sea and on the rocks because you may spot a seal, Dolphin or maybe even a whale. Mountain biking is highly recommended from the Taylors Mistake Car park up the Anaconda Track to Breeze Col. You can also mountain bike up Summit Road from Breeze Col to the Godley Head car park.
By Kiratpreet