Lake Matheson A Taste of the South Island of New Zealand - The picture-perfect reflections of the Southern Alps within the slightly tannin-tainted Lake Matheson offers a preview of the wondrous, visually inspiring South Island of latest Zealand. ensuing few weeks sees a journey, I've alliteratively titled Kiwi Kapers that circles New Zealand's larger however less populated island exploring the natural travel wonders of snow-capped mountains, sweeping glaciers, sparkling fjords, rock formations, verdant pastures and marvellous marine life.
On a transparent day, New Zealand's highest 2 mountains, Mt Cook and Mt Tasman (sadly, Mt Cook is masked by cloud) mirror into this little lake close to the foot of Fox Glacier.
Renown for having a sheep population which outnumbers humans by twenty to one, New Zealand is also home to the world's steepest street. In the delightfully English town of Dunedin on the South Island, Baldwin Street obtains a slope of
35 degrees 19 degrees or 35 percent (that is, travel less than three metres for a one metre vertical rise). It is proudly signposted with the superlative claim.
The explanation has it that town planners laid the city out with neat grid streets from the comfort of their desks in England with no regard for the terrain or natural obstacles or without having ever been to New Zealand. The steep portion of the road itself is concreted as asphalt could potentially run in the warmer summer months.
Every year in summer, there is a race to run up and down Baldwin Street and some even venture up on unicycles.
