Tauranga children get messy at Junior Tough Guy and Gal Challenge

Tauranga parents' washing piles will be like a nightmare today after 1600 kids got down and dirty at the city's first Junior Tough Guy and Gal Challenge.

Primary and intermediate-aged children from 50 Tauranga schools were left covered head to toe in mud and muck after taking on the course.

Obstacles in mud-filled water, slippery grass hills and high fences were just some of the challenges the children had to conquer before they could collect their medal at the end.

The course consisted of 1.5km track for the little ones and a 3km track for the pre-teens.

The mud did not stop at the finish line though. Giggles filled the air as dripping children ran around chasing each other with the intent of increasing their mud-to-clothes ratio.

Concerned looks crossed some parents' faces as they realised the jeopardy their car upholstery was in for on the drive home.

Brydie Henry, a mother of three mud-splattered boys, said the trio's outfits of shirts and tutus were as white as could be before the chaos.

The idea of wearing full white had been adopted by a number of the children to represent "the long white cloud" of Aotearoa, she said.

She thought the event was a great way for the kids to have some "good old Kiwi fun" and really get stuck in.

She laughed as she said getting the lot of them clean would not be an easy feat.

Ten-year-old Fern Donald's light blonde locks were saturated with brown muck, but she was still grinning ear to ear, saying although the track was "super muddy", it was "super fun".

Her friend, Ineka Cartwright, meant business with her mud-drawn battle stripes and said the pair had got into numerous "mud fights" while taking on the course.

Event Promotions Ltd marketing manager Stephanie Nielsen said the challenge was a great way for "kids to be kids" while playing in the mud.

The idea of the event was the push the children right out of their comfort zones to try something they would not do on a regular basis, she said.

Bright tutus, knee-high socks and piglet costumes with tie-up snouts were just some of the creative costumes the kids turned up in, she said.

Nielsen said the event had been a total success and they would definitely be bringing it back for a second year.