How far will you go to ensure you get your tipple? If you were part of this New Zealand group of revellers, the answer is ‘quite far’. To beat a ban on drinking in public places, this group created an island in coastal waters, in order to enjoy a New Year’s party.

The island was built of sand, and started off as a joke. The revellers used the low tide to their advantage and built the structure in the Tairua estuary on the Coromandel peninsula on December 31. They then went on to install a picnic table and icebox for drinks.

There had been a ban on drinking in public places in Coromandel over the New Year, with fines of $250.They claimed that since they were in “international waters,” the ban wouldn’t apply to them.

Luckily for the group, the authorities seem to have taken the stunt in a funny vein. “That’s creative thinking — if I had known [about it] I probably would have joined them,” local police commander inspector John Kelly told BBC.