Baldwin Street

Baldwin Street climbs a spur in North East Valley at a maximum gradient of about 1 in 2.86 - roughly 35 per cent - which is steep enough that the upper section is concrete rather than asphalt, because asphalt would flow downhill on a hot day. The reason it is that steep is a piece of colonial administration: the street grid was laid out in London by planners working from a map with no knowledge of the terrain, and the lines were simply drawn across the hills. It held the Guinness record for the world's steepest residential street until 2019, when a street in Wales was measured as steeper; Dunedin challenged the methodology and the record was returned in 2020. Walking up takes about five minutes and leaves most people out of breath. It is residential - people live along it, and the annual charity race and the gumboot-throwing events aside, visitors are asked to keep off driveways and out of gardens.

What you actually see

• The gradient - about 1 in 2.86 at the steepest, concrete at the top.
• The colonial grid - a street planned in London across unseen hills.
• The record story - lost to Wales in 2019, regained in 2020.
• The climb - five minutes up, and most people notice it.

When to go

Any time. Mornings are quieter. Wet or frosty conditions make the surface genuinely slippery underfoot.

Honest expectations

It is a residential street - people live here, and parking, noise and trespassing are ongoing local complaints. There is nothing at the top but a plaque. Fifteen minutes covers it.

Nearby

Central Dunedin is three kilometres away; the Otago Peninsula road starts in the city.