It was the running of the balls in Dunedin yesterday.
Organisers estimated 12,000 people lined the world's steepest street, Baldwin St in Northeast Valley, for the annual Cadbury Chocolate Carnival Jaffa race.
Stiltwalkers wandered through the crowd, while children perched on parents' shoulders for a better view.
Much of the interest centred on how the traditional red chocolate-filled Jaffas would fare against a racy new purple model, which was developed by Cadbury to mark the 10th anniversary of the event.
From a distance, the first race looked like red paint pouring down the street, with the first Jaffa home in about 25 seconds.
While the only difference beween the Jaffas was the colour, the purple ones were considerably faster than their red stablemates, crossing the finishing line in just 20 seconds.
Cadbury spokesman Daniel Ellis was at a loss to explain the speed variation.
"We can't work it out, because they're exactly the same size. Maybe the Jaffas in the first race cleared a little bit of debris off the road."
The event received international media attention, with Australian Channel 9 television programme A Current Affair covering the action.
All 50,000 individually numbered Jaffas were sold for $1 apiece and the first five to reach a chute at the bottom won prizes for their purchasers. Proceeds went to the Malcam Charitable Trust and Parents Centre of New Zealand.
