Imagine dangling from a hot air balloon with nothing but a harness to keep you from plunging 3,100 metres to the ground.

For New Zealand daredevil Anna Cochrane this dream became a reality as she performed a trapeze act hanging from a hot air balloon on Valentine's Day.

The ambulance officer said it was a strange experience, especially because on any other day she would be wearing a parachute.

"Normally when I'm in the sky I have a parachute on, so it felt very odd wearing only a harness," she said.

However, she says she was not scared.

"It's a very strange feeling being up that high on a trapeze," Ms Cochrane said.

"I wouldn't describe it as scary, but it definitely makes you feel very vulnerable in such a wide open space.

"Had it not been for the knowledge the crew in the basket were all on my side wanting me to succeed, I would have felt quite alone, I'm sure."

The stunt had to happen on a single weekend due to Ms Cochrane's busy schedule.

She said one of the challenges of the whole act was coordinating a team of about 15 people to be available.

The Saturday was too cloudy, so their hopes were set on the Sunday, which fortunately saw clear blue skies and almost no wind.

"Perfect balloon weather," Ms Cochrane said. "We got up at 3:00am and met in a farmer's paddock about two hours out of Christchurch.

"There were 11 people in the balloon, including myself, the COBi digital camera crew, the pilot, two witnesses for my Guinness World Record evidence, my safety rigger and three other skydivers."

The skydivers may seem like a strange choice for teammates, but Ms Cochrane was planning to end the stunt with a jump.

"I have been skydiving on and off since I was a teenager, so naturally the plan was to jump off with some friends, once I had finished my routine," she said.

It was an incredibly painful performance

Sorry, this video has expired Trapeze from 3,100 metres

But it did not all go according to plan: Ms Cochrane is currently nursing a suspected rib dislocation, which she sustained during the routine.

"Around 1 minute into the routine, I was coming out of a pose which normally puts some pressure into the side of my rib cage," Ms Cochrane said.

"This time however, it felt quite a lot harder than normal to come out of it.

"I suspect that, because we were ascending in the balloon, there was a few extra g-forces involved and essentially, I crushed the side of my ribcage, which resulted in a couple of loud pops and some rather intense pain.

"After that, I went into an upside-down hanging position to assess the damage.

"I could feel some deformity in my left rib cage so I knew something was wrong. However, after taking a couple of big breaths, I took 'the show must go on' approach, continuing with the routine by modifying it where I could, hoping I didn't puncture a lung in the process.

"It's safe to say it was an incredibly painful performance."

The injury meant Ms Cochrane was not able to skydive from the balloon with the others, which was a disappointment for her.

"But that's life for you," Ms Cochrane said. "I'm just happy I could perform for more than five minutes while in that much pain."

A hot air balloon 'just made sense'

Anna Cochrane said that it was an odd experience, especially because normally she would be wearing a parachute in the sky. ( Supplied: COBi digital )

The event was years in the making.

"I've been training in circus aerials for around seven years, however I took up the trapeze specifically for this event around one year ago," Ms Cochrane said.

"My previous training meant I already had the strength and fitness to do trapeze and it was just about creating a routine that I felt I could perform at that height, keeping in mind I would be wearing a harness and working around a lanyard that attached me to the trapeze.

"Compared to other circus aerial apparatuses I have used, the trapeze has been the most challenging to learn.

"You are essentially bending yourself around a steel bar, so I've basically been covered in bruises for the past year."

When asked whether she was aiming to break the world record, Ms Cochrane said she used the previous Guinness World Record (GWR) for high static trapeze to create a "clear goal".

"I thought, 'what will take me higher than 2,200 feet and hold me relatively still in the sky long enough to perform from?" Ms Cochrane said. "A hot air balloon just made sense.

"We are currently putting together our evidence package for GWR, which includes witness statements, video footage, height and GPS recordings and a few other things."

Anna Cochrane begins her performance on a trapeze bar above New Zealand. ( Supplied: COBi digital )

The previous world record was just over 660 metres, so if GWR are satisfied, Ms Cochrane would have smashed the previous world record with the height of between 10,400 feet and 11,400 feet or 3,100 metres.

Ms Cochrane has had enough of aerial performance for a while, but has not ruled out further world record attempts in the future.

"I will be taking an enforced break from aerial training until my rib is completely healed," she said.

"Right now I'm focused on some work goals as an ambulance officer here in Wellington and I'm quite excited … to pursue some more ground-based fitness goals.

"So I don't have any more world record attempts planned. But never say never — I have an active imagination, so that may change!"