The fire service has an unusual message for people near water this summer - don't get stuck in the mud.
It follows the rescue of a Dunedin woman who found herself waist-deep with no way out after the sludgy ground she'd followed her dog onto became like quicksand.
Rescuers balanced on ladders on Sunday morning, passing along a wooden stretcher to reach the woman stuck in the mud in Andersons Inlet.
Station officer Calvin Harradine said it was "quite deceptive" how deep the mud was in the inlet.
"We've used a couple of ladders to make a bridge so the guys didn't sink down in to the mud," he told Newshub.
Passers-by raised the alarm just after 10:30am. The woman was just metres from the shoreline before her dog ran off onto the inlet and she attempted a rescue of her own, becoming trapped.
After 15 minutes she was pulled on to solid ground. She wasn't injured, but her clothes were in need of a wash.
The fire service says it's a warning for those thinking of tip-toeing across mud.
"It's just something for the public to be aware of if you are going to walk out there - just be mindful you could sink; it's like quicksand," Mr Harrdine said.
Newshub.
