Total failure on Baldwin Street

There are 3 factors that largely determine a New Zealand vacation. WEATHER, WEATHER, WEATHER.

Today it was bad and it was raining at around 10 degrees. Weather like it is currently in Germany. However, the rain had a beneficial effect on the first attraction of the day, as you could get something on offer without spending any money. This probably wouldn't have been the case if the road was sunny and dry.

So we are in the city of Dunekin, more precisely on Baldwin Street, which is considered the steepest street in the world. (yes, it is really steep - it could really be the steepest asphalted road in the world.) There are signs that indicate that the road is only for residents and also point out that it is a dead end and there is no possibility of turning around at the top. The people who live there have to endure enough because the 350 meters is well visited by tourists (pedestrians) even in bad weather. But unfortunately, unfortunately, there are always those who don't follow the rules of the game. Tourists from China in particular have noticed us several times by ignoring completely clear and comprehensible rules. Obviously, as a Chinese abroad, you take advantage of the freedom that there are not surveillance cameras everywhere and if you cross the street when the light is red, you will be banished to a Tibetan labor camp for 10 years.

So did this example, which believed it could conquer the steepest road in the world with its SUV. Already on the journey you could see the tension and tunnel vision on your face. Then things got serious and the car reached the steeper passage. With his knees probably already weak, our Asian friend decided to do a kickdown. (Full throttle) What followed was pure physics. The 2.5t vehicle obeyed with 2 gears downshifted. This in turn lifted the front of the vehicle and led to a total loss of traction on the wet asphalt of the drive axle, which was equipped with powerful wide and low-profile tires. The vehicle went slightly sideways. The passenger and children could then be heard screaming in clear Mandarin inside the vehicle. This was followed by the driver slamming on the brakes, who was now definitely fed up. The car, which had no traction but was still moving forward, came to an abrupt halt. Everyone in the vehicle nodded. With a slight steering movement and, above all, without the brake pedal, you could have managed the last 30 meters. But not like that and there was silence at first. For a long, very long second. Then everything followed a globally consistent and unchanging sequence of communication between men and women. It started on the passenger side and even without Google translate it was clear that the driver was being massively insulted. "I said it directly that we shouldn't go up there, imagine what would happen to the children. Why did you have to be the strong man again and go up there" etc. etc. In such situations there are only 2 options. Flight or fight. Our adventurer initially decided to escape and went full throttle again. The engine was on today and you could literally smell the traction control fighting against the driveshaft. Traction control won and so the 200 horses couldn't let their power onto the road. The car was stuck.

The passenger intensified the accusations and so the tactics were changed to fighting. This was followed by a very loud announcement from the driver and suddenly there was silence in the car. Of course, by now all the cameras were focused on the spectacle and nothing happened at first.

Unfortunately, Starfleet's prime directive also applies to me, which strictly prohibits intervention or even assistance from alien species. Otherwise I might have pointed out the switchable all-wheel drive. But a rule is just a rule.

So we had to watch as fate took its course and now we tried to turn the huge SUV on the steep road. 5 meters further down the road would have been significantly further, but the tunnel vision had narrowed to a mouse hole and so we turned around on the spot. Apparently all technical aids were switched on and it was possible to turn the powerful vehicle around on the road in 12 moves. But now the best thing came and I had already been waiting for it: “The return journey of shame” past all the tourists. I even put my cell phone in my pocket so I could enjoy it to the fullest and give slow, very slow standing applause as the car crawled past me at a snail's pace. And of course I looked fully into the car and saw a Chinese man smiling back and bowing slightly in front of the steering wheel.

But this time intentionally without the influence of centrifugal force.

The wife and children also smiled kindly at me. Did people interpret my applause as bravo for mastering the situation? Or will the driver ram a sharp samurai sword into his stomach tonight? Which I consider to be entirely understandable given this failure. Or am I confusing something again? Doesn't matter! What remains is that I couldn't really enjoy my schadenfreude by smiling. Maybe I should copy that from the Chinaman.