Geology of Polynesia

Out of about 117,000 or 118,000 square miles of land, over 103,000 square miles are within New Zealand; about half the remainder comprises the Hawaiian archipelago. The Zealandia continent has approximately 1.4 million square miles of continental shelf. The oldest rocks in the region are found in New Zealand and are believed to be about 510 million years old. The oldest Polynesian rocks outside of Zealandia are to be found in the Hawaiian Emperor Seamount Chain, and are 80 million years old.