They grimaced, yelped, shrieked and screamed.
It was not quite going from the fry pan into the fire for polar plunge and fire walk participants but the pain was still evident.
Around 50 people, including Rotorua MP Todd McClay and Waiariki candidate Rawiri Waititi, shod their footwear at Village Green yesterday to scamper nearly 3m across a pit of hot charred embers and raise money for Women's Refuge.
To cool down they immersed themselves in an ice bath for several seconds before eventually finding solace in the comfort of a hot spa pool - to support St Chad's Community Trust.
The event had been postponed from the previous night due to the severe weather conditions which brought torrential rain to the region.
While the fire walk was a Sunday stroll in the park for many participants, the ice bath soon brought several to their senses.
"It's hot alright," said Te Kuiti visitor Sarah McElroy after her dash across the embers.
"The kids made me do it but it was a good cause as well."
Rotorua resident Tofu Pomale drew a different conclusion.
"It (fire walk) was not very hot, really."
Other's who dipped and dived were more effusive.
"It was freezing cold," Sharissa Hetherington, of Rotorua gasped.
Josh Crabtree, of Rotorua, was more than pleased to support a good cause.
"I was expecting the fire to be hotter but the ice bath was really cold."
Rotorua policeman David Massey went for two dips in the ice bath, enduring 20 seconds under water.
"I'm only doing it because I would like to win a spa pool."
The name of a lucky participant to win a $10,000 spa pool would be drawn this week.