Hole in One Nitro stunt sure to attract fans

Rotorua's Zorb and Nitro Circus Live have teamed up to create an extreme new stunt that looks set to go global.

Debuted during Nitro Circus' recent New Zealand shows, the Nitro Circus Hole in One stunt sees a crew member hurtling down a 50-foot (15m) ramp on a BMX. He then flings the bike aside mid-air and lands inside a small hole in a Zorb globe waiting on a landing ramp metres away.

Nitro Circus Live, an international touring act featuring sports stunts, approached Zorb with the concept for their first New Zealand tour in 2011 but an agreement wasn't finalised until this year.

Nitro Circus Live creative manager Dov Ribnick said the idea came while shooting the Nitro Circus Live 3D movie, as there was a similar set up in Utah.

"We thought trying to land in a Zorb Globe would be epic ... either epic good as the guys would land in it, or epic bad as they would go flying in any direction.

"It is one of our best new segments and a crowd favourite every night," he said.

For the stunt, the team at Zorb took a Zydro globe, traditionally used for rolling down a hill in water, and added a slightly larger door for the athlete to jump into, as well as an extra crash pad for their landing. The globe was also deflated slightly to allow for the pressure of a person flying through the air and landing inside.