Across the South Pacific
Time continues to work its magic on rock
Millions of years of erosion and sinking have reduced the volcanic mount of Maupiti
To little more than a hill
Eventually this hill will disappear too
And when it does
It will look like this
Mataiva
A coral atoll
Rising above the waves
A coral atoll's reef surrounds a shallow lagoon
Where there was once a mighty peak
Now there is only water
There are thousands of atolls like Mataiva dotted around the South Pacific
Their size and shape determined by the original volcano
Some atolls are round their rings unbroken
While others have been bent out of shape by ocean currents and earthquakes
And a few span huge distances
A testament to volcanoes whose size and power were once truly colossal
Rangiroa in French Polynesia
Over 30 miles wide
Its lagoon is so large that if you were floating in its centre
You wouldn't see land in any direction
