RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Good morning, I'm Rachel Martin. A town in the north of New Zealand bans drinking in public places during the holidays for safety reasons. But a group of friends who wanted to whoop it up on New Year's Eve were so committed to their party plans they had to build their own island. According to The New Zealand Herald, they made a big mound in the water off the shore in order to get around the drinking ban. One city official said that's creative thinking. If I had known, I probably would have joined them. It's MORNING EDITION.