To Dodge a Drinking Ban, They Built an Island

New Zealanders enjoyed NYE in 'international waters'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 2, 2018 3:33 AM CST
New Zealanders Build Island to Dodge Drinking Ban
New Zealand's newest island.   (Facebook)

Some islands are created by underwater volcanic eruptions. This one was the work of New Zealanders who wanted to drink outside without being fined by police. A group of Kiwis on the Coromandel Peninsula, where drinking alcoholic beverages outside in public places was banned over the New Year period, dodged the liquor ban by building an island out of sand at low tide, the BBC reports. The group, which joked that being in "international waters" made them exempt from the ban, installed a picnic table and a cooler on the island and were seen drinking and enjoying the New Year's Eve fireworks after water rose around it, Stuff.co.nz reports.

The group could have been arrested or fined $250 each if they had been caught drinking outside, but they were apparently undisturbed by police, who sound impressed by the effort. "That's creative thinking—if I had known that I probably would have joined them," local police commander John Kelly said, per the New Zealand Herald. It's not clear whether the group waited for low tide or found another way off the island when the party was over, though a photo shared on the Tairua ChitChat page on Facebook showed a kayaker and a paddleboarder nearby. It's not clear how long the giant island will last, but it survived the party: Residents said it was still visible Monday morning. (Across the Tasman Sea, thousands of people fled a beach when a fireworks display went wrong.)

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