Rotorua's Keith Kolver now has a claim to fame - he is the fastest "Zorbanaut" in the world.
The Zorb Rotorua general manager yesterday broke the world record held in the Guinness Book of Records for the fastest Zorb ride, travelling a whopping 52km/h. The previous record was 49.8km/h.
"What aride," said a jubilant Mr Kolver as he climbed out of the Zorb with cheers from about 40 spectators, most of whom were standing at the top of the hill of a farm just out of Paengaroa.
Although the angle of the slope had not been measured, Mr Kolver admitted it was steep but he was more excited than nervous about tumbling down it.
Constable Tony Bennett of the Rotorua police was on hand to measure the speed using a special device.
"I forgot to ask him if he was operating in a 50km/h zone or a 100km/h zone. There might be a ticket waiting for me up there," Keith joked.
While he had a gut feeling he might reach speeds of up to 58km/h, he was happy just to break the world record.
An adjudicator for the Guinness Book of World Records, Angie Willocks from Auckland, was on hand to record the moment, although a decision about whether it will be noted in the next edition is still to be made.
Aucklander Steve Camp yesterday also broke the world record for the longest Zorb ride, travelling 570m. The previous world record held in the Guinness Book of World Records is 323m and was set in the United Kingdom.
"Who is the first person I'm going to kiss?" said a rather drenched Mr Camp as he climbed out of the large plastic ball at the end of the ride.
Mr Camp, who has run over 35 marathons, said travelling 570m in a Zorb was quite intense.
