Pangaimotu is a small island in the Tongatapu group of Tonga, lying near the capital Nukuʻalofa.[1] It is reachable by a 10-minute boat trip from Nukuʻalofa.[2] Aside from the beaches, a centrepiece of the island's attraction is a wreck jumping from the hull of the upturned ship 50 metres off the island's main beach.[3] The island also contains the Big Mama Yacht Club, the Pangaimotu Island Resort and a vanilla plantation.[4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Pangaimotu_Island.jpg/300px-Pangaimotu_Island.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Pangaimotu_shipwreck.jpg/220px-Pangaimotu_shipwreck.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/Pangaimotu_monument.jpg/220px-Pangaimotu_monument.jpg)
The Pangaimotu reef was declared a national marine reserve in 1989.[5]
The first mass in Tonga was held under a tree on Pangaimotu on 2 July 1842. It was conducted by Jean Baptiste Pompallier and Father Chevron.[6]