Baldwin Street

Baldwin Street in Dunedin's North East Valley has held the Guinness World Record for the world's steepest residential street for decades. Stretching just under 350 metres, its gradient peaks at 1:2.86 — roughly a 35-centimetre rise for every metre of horizontal distance. The slope is so severe that the upper footpath is poured concrete rather than asphalt, since liquid asphalt would simply flow downhill on a hot summer day. Each year the street hosts the Jaffa Race, in which thousands of round chocolate sweets are rolled from the top while spectators scramble to catch or sponsor them — a quirky local event that now draws international visitors. The climb itself takes only a few minutes, and the top offers a clear view across the valley toward Dunedin's harbour basin.