A small group of Central Otago "hoopers” that usually meets in the Oturehua Hall took their spins outdoors at the weekend, joined in person for the first time by their Dunedin-based instructor. 

The group has been following pre-recorded tutorials screened via the hall projector, but on Saturday (November 22) “Hoopblast” teacher Rebecca Jones made the trip north so everyone could hula hoop together on the grass at the Oturehua Domain. 

Dorothy Boyd, who instigated the local group, said the meet ups grew out of a gap she felt after shifting from Dunedin to Central Otago. 

“It was something that I missed,” she said of her hula-hooping sessions. 

Go to The Central App You Tube channel to watch - click on the link below

‘Hoopers’ in action. Video: The Central App

She remembered the remote lessons her teacher recorded and shared online during the Covid-19 lockdowns and wondered if she could get something going locally.  

A community notice did the trick, and three people turned up on the first day. 

“It sounded different, it sounded fun, it’s good for your core and your brain,” she said. 

Sessions at the hall follow a simple formula: music, a warm-up, then a routine that gets everyone shifting around the room with a hoop in motion.  

Anyone walking in mid-session would hear upbeat music and see people stepping side-to-side, sometimes adding arm work or trickier moves while keeping the hoop spinning.  

The group sticks with each tutorial video for four weeks before switching to the next. 

“Just as you’re getting to know the routine there’s a change, which is what keeps it fun and stimulating,” Dorothy said.  

“The great thing about it is just how fun it is.” 

Visitors shouldn’t expect the feather-light plastic rings from childhood. 

Rebecca said her “hoopers” - two carloads of whom made the trip from Dunedin to Oturehua - use larger, weighted hoops. 

“The weight of it is really good for core strengthening, and because of the movement, after a class, it seems to make your endorphins go crazy - everyone seems so happy. 

“It’s fun exercise, but you don't even really know you're exercising.” 

She said hula hooping appeals to a wide range of people. 

“In our Dunedin group, we have people from about 25-ish up to 72.” 

Dorothy hopes the Oturehua group encourages other newcomers to rural areas to start the things they miss. 

“There are lots of things on in Central Otago rurally - you just have to find them. But then, if you can't find something, you kind of have to make it happen.”