PARADISE FOUND
TWO thousand metres below the surface of the South Pacific, a fury of molten lava burst through the mantle and vented upwards. Boiling rocks from the heart of the earth rose through the incredible pressure of the deep. Over time, there built an underwater mountain that eventually, perhaps seven million years ago, reached the air above the sea with much steam and forceful spewing of liquid rock.
The mountain grew to a great height over a large area – a giant shield volcano. Slowly, ocean forces eroded the massive area until it was a tiny fraction of its original size: an island outcrop from an underwater plateau. Over time, the few plants and animals that found their way across the open ocean to the island evolved to become the biological treasures of today. Corals grow in the shallow waters around the islands—the southernmost coral reef in the world, with a
