People Are Going Crazy Over the First Photos of Tonga's New Island

It's not often Tonga gets in the news -- the country's most famous export is probably a pro wrestler who peaked in 1998 -- but when a volcanic eruption gives the Earth an entirely new island, well, you can't help but make headlines.

Not far from Tonga’s Tongatapu, the new island birthed in January stretches a good 2,600ft, and its first photos are just emerging on social media. Daring hotel owner Gianpiero Orbassano took a trip with his son to the never-before-seen island over the weekend and snapped a bunch of images. “Remember that time we took the first pictures of Tonga’s island?” is certainly a better story than "Remember when I caught a fish on our father-son camping trip?"

Check out their snaps:

Obviously, islands don't pop up every day, so plenty of people were excited to see the unnamed island. The real question: how soon will someone build a hotel there, and how does it compare to Richard Branson's and Oprah's islands?

To see how we got here, check out the underwater volcano eruption that formed Tonga’s newest tourist destination: