Kiwi breaks hula-hooping record

Maggie Shui, 20, joined a team of 17 Peruvian and international charity workers. Photo / Supplied

An Auckland student has broken the record for hula-hooping at the highest altitude.

Maggie Shui, 20, joined a team of 17 Peruvian and international charity workers to climb 6057m on Chachani, a volcano near the city of Arequipa in the south of Peru.

Oxygen levels at the treacherous summit are 50 per cent compared to at sea level and high-wind speeds add further challenges.

The team set out on December 6 to climb the volcano, resting only for a few hours, to make the summit at 7am on December 7.

"It was an amazing feeling when we made it to the top," Miss Shui said. "The conditions for hula-hooping were perfect - clear skies and almost no wind. We hula-hooped for at least 30 seconds to secure the record and I still really can't believe we did it."

Miss Shui was one of 14 to make it to the top.

"Many of us were suffering from the effects of altitude - headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, and dizziness. But we all tried to encourage each other to keep going.

"The challenge has captured the imagination of the public and we have already received a lot of support and good wishes from friends and family back home."

The record attempt, which surpassed the previous record set in 2010 at 5895m on Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, is going through the officiating process with Guinness World Record.

The team set out on December 6 to climb the volcano, resting only for a few hours, to make the summit at 7am on December 7. Photo / Supplied

The team raised more than $11,000 for the charity Hoop -- Helping Overcome Obstacles Peru. Hoop is a small organisation based in Arequipa, and aims to break the cycle of poverty through education, health and social programmes.

Tom Hornbrook, director of communications and development at Hoop, was overwhelmed with the response.

"I was very impressed by everyone's strength and commitment," he said.

"It was amazing to see the generosity of people around the world in supporting this great achievement. We surpassed our ambitious fundraising goal. All the money raised [will] help us have a real impact on the lives of children and their families in the community."

Miss Shui's fundraising campaign is still open at www.hoopperu.org/hulahoop. All funds will go directly into Hoop's project in Arequipa and will be spent on school rental, schoolbooks and supplies, teacher training, a new maths programme and a new social work programme.