More than 220 children got damp and dirty at the Portobello Paddock Pursuit yesterday.
Portobello School fundraising committee member Lyn Pope said the children ran, crawled and climbed across Portobello Domain, the school grounds, neighbouring paddocks and pony club.
Competitors tiptoed through tyres, jumped over podiums of pea straw, swung tarzan-style on a rope and commando-crawled through mud.
The downhill approach to the finish line was a tarpaulin waterslide, put on by the Portobello rural volunteer fire brigade.
James Musk, of Dunedin, said he was chaperoning his daughter Isla (4) around the course and had lost control and clothing on the slide.
He and his daughter had planned to slide down together but his daughter faltered as he dived forward on the slide.
''The slide was pretty fast and halfway down the grass, I felt my shorts start to come away and that my undies were going with them.''
After the red-faced father readjusted his attire, he climbed the hill to slide with his daughter.
''I sat down the second time,'' he laughed.
Mrs Pope said the event raised $1800 for Portobello School and would return next year.
