Abstract: Hankow Reef off the coast of Madang Province, New Guinea has been linked to a large eruption at a former island known as ‘Yomba’ by legends told by people living in the Madang province. However some doubts have been made about the accuracy of their comments. I present evidence for a low-lying volcanic island that may have existed at Hankow Reef and its links to the Yomba stories.