RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

And now, a story about an unexpected silver lining when mayhem strikes on vacation. Two German tourists - Paul Zeller and Nico Reiner - were having a lovely holiday on New Zealand's spectacular South Island when, wham, an old tree tipped over and smashed their parked car. Now, according to the Otago Daily Press, even though the vehicle was legally parked, their insurance refused the cost of repairs. The local city council also denied responsibility but it did have something to offer the pair of tourists. They got a free tow and the equivalent of 50 bucks or so and a couple of free bungee jumps. It is New Zealand after all. But the tourists were still miffed. They said their '94 Toyota was worth the equivalent of $1,200 and, quote, "still had petrol in it." And they said they certainly wouldn't leave the country without taking those free bungee jumps. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.