Toau is a medium-sized atoll in the Tuamotu Group of French Polynesia, with a large lagoon that is nearly 22 miles in length. Like all of the atolls in the Tuamotus, this was once a volcanic island, which over time formed its own fringing reef. Many, many years later, the central volcanic island sank below the waters of the sea and the fringing reef is all that remains, forming an atoll with a large lagoon. ​

Although the main village on Toau is abandoned, there are several people who have come over from Fakaraka to make a living on the atoll, both in simple pearl farming and in growing coconuts for the copra industry. ​

The lagoon is healthy, with thriving fish populations around its coral bommies and in the passages into and out of the lagoon.