New Zealanders have claimed two world records in the obscure pastime of “zorbing” - the art of rolling down a hill in a giant balloon.

Keith Kolver became the world’s fastest “zorbanaut” reaching a top speed of 52 kilometres an hour, a day after Steve Camp broke the world record for the longest zorb ride, travelling 570 metres.

Zorbing, a New Zealand invention, consists of rolling down a hill while strapped inside in a three-metre diameter plastic ball

Both stunts were part of Guinness World Records Day and were verified by Angie Willocks, an adjudicator for the Guinness Book of World Records.

Kolver, who broke the previous speed record by 2.2 km/h, had his speed verified by a police radar.

Although the angle of the slope had not been measured, Kolver admitted it was steep but he was more excited than nervous about tumbling down it.

Camp’s new distance record was 250 metres further than the previous world mark set in the United Kingdom.