Baldwin Street, in Dunedin, New Zealand, is the steepest street in the world according to the “Guinness Book of World Records.” This means no street gains more altitude in 10 horizontal meters, measured along the street’s center line.
When I chose to take a Royal Princess cruise excursion to visit a botanical garden and historic mansion in Dunedin, little did I know I would get the bonus of seeing the steepest street from a motor coach window.
The street is 1,150 feet long and runs east from the valley of Lindsay Creek up the side of Signal Hill towards Opoho, rising from 98 feet above sea level at its junction with North Road to 330 feet above sea level at the top.
The street’s steepness was unintentional, according to Wikipedia. As with many other parts of early Dunedin, and indeed New Zealand, streets were laid out in a grid pattern with no consideration for the terrain, usually by planners in London. In the case of Baldwin Street (and much of the Dunedin Street plan), the layout was surveyed in the mid-19th century. The street is named after William Baldwin, an Otago Provincial Counselor and newspaper founder, who subdivided the area.
Baldwin Street held the record for over a decade until June 2019, when the title was awarded to Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech, Wales.
Guinness reinstated the previous record holder after completing an extensive review of an appeal brought by representatives of Baldwin Street.
Once again Baldwin Street holds the record.
For more information about Dunedin, click here.
