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New Zealand is home to the world’s steepest street

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Forget the lush greenery and snow-capped mountains showcased in The Lord of The Rings: New Zealand has a new claim to fame on the landscape front: home of the world’s steepest residential street.

Dunedin, located on New Zealand’s South Island, is home to Baldwin Street, a short but sharply sloped street lined with homes, built directly into the hill. According to travel site New Zealand.com, the street runs only 350 metres, but climbs from 30 metres above sea level to 100 metres above sea level at the top, giving it an average slope of 1:5. Having a hard time following? In simpler terms, for every 2.86 metres travelled on this steep street, the elevation changes by one metre, reports Twisted Sifter.

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Though there is some steep competition from streets in San Francisco, Hawai, and Pittsburgh, Baldwin Street is the only street to receive official “steepest street” status from the Guinness Book of World Records, reports Twisted Sifter.

For all its current fame, Baldwin Street was a complete accident. In the mid-19th century, British surveyor Charles Kettle drew up plans for Dunedin’s streets based on those for Edinburgh, Scotland – without thinking New Zealand’s terrain could be different from Scotland’s, reports Slate.

Jump forward to 2015 and Baldwin Street is now a huge tourist draw and photo op, not to mention home to a few community and charity events.

On Friday, July 17, the annual “Jaffa Race” will take place on Baldwin Street, where 25,000 wrapped candies will be released at the top of the street. Spectators can bet on the Jaffas for one dollar, with all proceeds going to charity.

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