Guinness World Records galore: Loudest clap, longest TV interview, largest liquorice allsort

Dunedin may have lost the record for the world's steepest street - but Kiwis are still tops in a lot of other weird and wacky ways.

Titles range from the Guinness World Record for the longest television interview - 26 hours - to the largest collection of Zebra-related items - 508.

In fact a search of the Guinness World Records website for New Zealand records shows a whopping 320 results.

From the greatest distance travelled by forward rolling completed by a team - 10,163.66 metres - to the most number of Rugby World Cup wins - three - New Zealand has outdone itself on the world record stage.

In 2014 Wendy Jarnet of Thames held the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of Zebra-related items, mostly stuffed animals, with 508 items.

Guinness World Records documents and celebrates superlative achievements that are the best in the world.

Last week Kiwis lost the steepest street world record after Dunedin's Baldwin St was dethroned by Ffordd Pen Llech, a street in the North Wales town of Harlech.

Tourists like Stephanie Werner (left) and Marie Hammerschmidt of Berlin flocked to Dunedin's Baldwin St before it lost its world record for the steepest street. Photo / ODT

But New Zealand still holds the record for that 26 hours and 4-second television interview achieved by Tom Conroy and Sir Tim Shadbolt for CUE Television in April 2012.

In 2014 Wendy Jarnet of Thames held the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of Zebra-related items, mostly stuffed animals, with 508 items, after she started collecting them as a 4-year-old after a trip to Auckland Zoo.

Blair Williamson took out the top spot for the most Rubik's Cubes solved while running a marathon (254) at the Christchurch International Marathon in June 2017.

After 23 years Alan McKay still holds the record for the longest bubble, made using a bubble wand and washing-up liquid, glycerine and water. The bubble measured 32m, or 105ft, long.

Sir Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy wins the largest battle sequences on film with more than 200,000 fighting characters.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy holds the Guinness World Record for the largest battle sequence on film. Photo / New Line Productions

To achieve it Weta Digital wrote bespoke crowd-simulation software called "Massive", which combined digital animation with an artificial intelligence that governed how the characters interacted, Guinness World Records states.

Angela Fredericks holds the record for the fastest time to open 100 mussels (1 min 55.28 seconds). Fredericks set the world record at the Havelock Mussel and Seafood Festival in March 2016, beating her previous year's record.

New Zealanders also hold world records in the fastest time to complete 10km pushing a pram (32 min 26 sec), the highest static trapeze act (3159.25m), and the most backflips on a bike.

Trapeze artist Anna Cochrane set her world record in February 2016 at Ashburton, dislocating a rib during the routine.

Jed Mildon from Nitro Circus holds the Guinness World Record for the most backflips on a bike in one leap - four. Photo / Doug Sherring

Jed Mildon made four backflips on a bike in a single leap in July 2015 at Pastranaland in Maryland, United States. In 2011 he became the first person to complete a triple backflip.

Then there's the world's loudest clap (113 decibels), the largest liquorice allsort (1.001m wide by 0.768m high), and the largest gathering of steampunks (228) at the Steampunk New Zealand Festival in Oamaru in June 2016.

Not surprisingly, New Zealand also holds world records in sporting events including the most Rugby World Cup wins, and the fastest row - the women's coxless pairs of Grace Prendergast and Kerri Gowler. The women rowed 2000m in 6 min 49.8 sec at the Rowing World Cup II in Poland in June 2017.

New Zealand also holds the Guinness World Record for the shortest jury trial outcome. On July 22, 2004 Nicholas McAllister was acquitted of cultivating cannabis plants at a deliberation that lasted just one minute at Greymouth District Court. The jury left to consider the verdict at 3.28pm and returned at 3.29pm with "not guilty".

A Kiwi, Angela Fredericks, holds the Guinness World Record for opening 100 mussels in the fastest time. Photo / Claire Fraser