A kitten was rescued from a stormwater pipe by two Dargaville firefighters who shimmied their way through about 4m of mud to get to her.
Dargaville Volunteer Fire Brigade senior firefighter Penny Searle said a crew responded to the recent distress call on Bayly St.
As they pulled up they saw a man and woman peering into the grate on the side of the road and the faint meowing of the cat.
"We're not really sure how she got down there," Ms Searle said. "The poor thing was terrified."