A group of New Zealanders came up with a very clever way to get around a local ban on alcohol so they could imbibe on New Year's Eve.
The government of Tairua, a small town in New Zealand's North Island, bans public drinking every year between December 26th and January 6th in an effort to cut down on illegal behavior. But this year, a group of friends came up with the brilliant idea to create their own private island where the law couldn't be enforced. So one day, during low tide in the Tairua estuary, they marched into the water and shoveled up a large mound of mud big enough to fit all seven of them and a picnic table.
Then, on New Year's Eve, they sat on their man-made island and rang in the new year with drinks. Even local law enforcement was impressed. The police inspector said, "That's creative thinking. If I had known that I probably would have joined them." (New Zealand Herald)