The ups and downs of living on the steepest street in the world

Hugo Hyndman has lived at the top of the world’s steepest street all his life. “It is always interesting,” the 20-year-old said.

While Baldwin Street was a major Dunedin drawcard for photo-snapping visitors, that influx often presented a challenge for residents.

“You just have to be aware all the time.”

“We have had a few issues with people lying under the crest of the hill . .  . so when you are driving down you have to slam on the brakes so you don’t hit them.”

Campervans have hit the bank of his property, while other vehicles have become stuck trying to turn into his driveway.

“There are people who can’t really drive manuals so I have helped them out by driving down the hill.”

The street was popular all year around, but was “hectic” in summer when cruise ships visited the city. On Thursday, two cruise ships visiting Dunedin led to an influx of tourists taking pictures at the bottom of Baldwin Street, seemingly oblivious to turning traffic.

The street’s growing popularity prompted the Dunedin City Council to install signs advising of a “care code” for the street, which included asking pedestrians to stay on footpaths, respect private property and to not block driveways.

Australian couple Sue and John Marshall had lived on Baldwin St for two years and set up a small shop, Steep Street Delights, selling drinks, gourmet ice cream and ice blocks to passing tourists.

The street wasn’t just a drawcard for international visitors, but also “to every local youth in a lowered Honda Civic who drives up at a thousand miles an hour,” John Marshall said.

The couple loved living on the street as “there’s always something going on”.

The action included tourists doing imaginative poses outside their window, the man who walked in gumboots up and down the street each day, or the bus towing a trailer that got stuck and “all the passengers had to manoeuvre the trailer around while the bus driver did a three-point turn”.

Sue Marshall said she had watched sporting teams running up the street dragging tyres behind them. Her husband’s only concern was that some tourists treated the road like a “theme park”, lying on the road or letting children walking up the centre, he said.

The couple regularly walked up the street, but at least one resident spoken to had never made it, either by foot or by vehicle. 

That resident, Josie, said she had lived on the street for eight years but never made it to the top. 

“I expect I will one day.”

The street was always busy, and sometimes she came outside to find people in her garden admiring plants.

“People just love to chat.” The only downside to living on a popular street was trying to secure on-street parking on busy days, she said.

“But that’s nothing.”

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Baldwin St was listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s steepest street – the 161.2 metres of its upper most section climbed a vertical height of 47.22m, an average gradient of 1 in 3.41.

On its steepest section the gradient was 1 in 2.86.

In 2009, three young men were charged after being caught riding an esky down the street.

In 2001, 19-year-old Anna North died after she climbed inside a wheelie bin for a high-speed roll down the street.

Baldwin Street was named after the original surveyor of the area, William Baldwin, who was on the Otago Provincial Council and founded the Otago Guardian newspaper in 1873.

This story was originally published on Stuff.co.nz