World’s Steepest Street Not Always the Easiest to Live On

In 2003 there was a battle of words between the city of Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand, and San Francisco, over which of the two could lay claim to having the world’s steepest street. To the relief of the residents of Dunedin, and those who believe that the Guinness Book of Records always gets it right, Dunedin’s Baldwin St was confirmed as being the steepest.

But sometimes Baldwin St gains a notoriety for different reasons. Young people in particular like to try their skills out on it – and see if they’ll survive! Early in January 2007 a group of youths in a car drove at 150 kilometres per hour down this street, and lost control, crashing into the Community Hospice building in the road that crosses Baldwin St at the bottom.

None of these youths were killed, fortunately, but in an earlier incident, in 2001, a student and his girlfriend tried to ride down the hill in a wheelie-bin. A wheelie-bin is a large, green rubbish bin on small wheels. It’s probably too small for one person to ride comfortably, let alone two.

The bin crashed and the girl was killed.

In recent years residents of the street have noticed an increase in hoons causing problems. And it’s not just hoons in cars. Some cyclists like to tempt fate and ride down the street at horrendous speeds.

That only one person has been killed so far is an amazing thing, although there have been some other major incidents, as when the brakes in a teenager’s Mini failed near the top of the street. His car careered down two-thirds of the street before hitting a power pole.

In general however, Baldwin St is a challenge to people for more fun reasons. Each year, during the city’s annual festival week, a Gutbuster run is held. This entails runners running both up and down the street in the fastest possible time. Some people take it seriously; many dress up in ridiculous gear for the occasion. And in 2005 one firefighter completed the Gutbuster in full kit.

At another point in the year, the street is the site of the annual Jaffa race. This is a charity affair, in which numbered Jaffas (small round and red lollies) are let loose down the street. Each Jaffa is paid for as an entry in a competition, and the Jaffa that makes it all the way down the street first (many vanish down gutters and into hedges) gains a prize for its ‘owner’.

And the street has been a challenge to someone at a different end of the age range. An octogenarian, Rod McLay, walked up and down the street every day for nearly a couple of years. At the end of 2006 he had completed 549 ascents and descents.