Still the Steepest Street in the World

No-one famous lives in Dunedin’s Baldwin Street. No-one has claimed to have seen miracles performed there. It doesn’t even give its name to a television soap opera.

Its claim to fame is as the steepest street in the world, although for much of its existence such recognition went elsewhere, as Dunedin author Ian Dougherty relates in his book, The Steepest Street in the World: Baldwin Street, Dunedin, New Zealand.

The book covers Baldwin Street’s history dating back to the 1870s; rival claims to its title (most recently from a street in Wales); its role as an important Dunedin tourist attraction; and the various modes of transport people have used to ascend and descend the street: from pogo sticks to spring-loaded power skippers.

The downside of the street is also traversed: from the intrusive effects on residents’ lives; to the serious injuries in motor vehicle accidents, and the death of a student who rode down the street inside a wheelie bin that crashed into a parked trailer near the bottom.

The Steepest Street in the World: Baldwin Street, Dunedin, New Zealand, is available for $20 from bookshops, and directly from the publisher (post free): Saddle Hill Press, PO Box 90, Dunedin 9054.

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