Pangaimotu Island

Pangaimotu is the nearest island to Nuku'alofa, ten minutes by boat from the waterfront, with a beach, a bar and the rusting upturned hull of a wrecked ship about fifty metres off the main beach that people climb on and jump from; the Big Mama Yacht Club, a small resort and a vanilla plantation share the island. It is where Tongatapu goes on Sundays after church. Snorkelling around the wreck and the reef nearby is easy and shallow. The reef has been a national marine reserve since 1989, and the first Catholic mass in Tonga was said under a tree here on 2 July 1842.

What to look for

• The half-sunken wreck - the hull in shallow water, swum out to and climbed.
• The short crossing - ten minutes by boat from the capital.
• The beach bar - the operation the island is built around.
• The Sunday crowd - Tongatapu's day out after church.

When to go

May to October is the drier season. Sunday afternoon is the busiest and most local. Boats run to a schedule and stop in the evening.

Before you go

It gets crowded on Sundays. The wreck is rusted and sharp and climbing it carries real risk of cuts. Facilities are the bar and basic shelters.

Nearby

Nuku'alofa is south, and Fafa is north.

Key facts