geo.wikisort.org - Island

Tetiʻaroa (French: Tetiaroa) is an atoll in the Windward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas territorial collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. Once the vacation spot for Tahitian royalty, the islets are under a 99-year lease contracted by Marlon Brando and are home to The Brando Resort.

Teti'aroa

Aerial view of Tetiʻaroa
Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	17°0′S 149°33′W
Archipelago	Society Islands
Area	6 km2 (2.3 sq mi)
Administration
France
Overseas collectivity	French Polynesia
Administrative subdivision	Windward Islands
Commune	Arue

Geography

Tetiꞌaroa is administratively part of the commune of Arue, whose main part is in the northeastern part of Tahiti. The atoll is located 53 kilometres (33 mi) north of Tahiti. The atoll has a total surface area of 6 square kilometres (2 sq mi); approximately 585 hectares (1,450 acres) of sand divided by 12 motus (islets) with varying surface areas. The lagoon is approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) wide and 30 metres (98 ft) deep. The atoll has no reef opening, making access by boat nearly impossible.

The islets (or motus), in clockwise order starting from the southwest corner, include: Onetahi (with regulated airstrip and site of The Brando Resort), Honuea, Tiaruanu, Motu Tauvini (Tauini), Motu Ahurea (Auroa), Hiraanae, Horoatera (Oroatera), Motu 'Ā'ie, Tahuna Iti, Tahuna Rahi, Reiono, Motu One (emerging sandbank) and Rimatu'u (with an ornithology reserve).

Climate

Tetiꞌaroa has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification Am). The average annual temperature in Tetiꞌaroa is 26.3 °C (79.3 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,883.1 mm (74.14 in) with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in March, at around 27.3 °C (81.1 °F), and lowest in August, at around 24.9 °C (76.8 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Tetiꞌaroa was 35.5 °C (95.9 °F) on 20 March 1995; the coldest temperature ever recorded was 14.5 °C (58.1 °F) on 25 July 1987.

History

Early years

The atoll of Tetiꞌaroa was a special place for the Tahitian chiefs, as a place to entertain themselves with song, dance, fishing and feasting. It was also a special place for the ariori to practice their custom of ha'apori'a. This custom included eating to gain weight, and staying out of the sun to whiten their skin. Plump and pale was a sign of "well-being and prosperity" for the ariori and chiefs. Tetiꞌaroa was controlled by the chiefs of Pare-'Arue, and later, by members of the Pōmare Dynasty.[2]

In 1789, William Bligh is said to have been the first European to visit the atoll while looking for early mutineers prior to the departure of HMS Bounty which eventually suffered a full mutiny. The United States Exploring Expedition visited the island on 10 September 1839.[3]

Williams and Brando

In 1904, the royal family sold Tetiꞌaroa to Johnston Walter Williams, a Canadian national and the only dentist in Tahiti. Williams later became Consul of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1935.[4] Williams managed Tetiꞌaroa as a residence and a copra plantation.

In 1960, Marlon Brando "discovered" Tetiꞌaroa while scouting filming locations for Mutiny on the Bounty, which was shot on Tahiti and neighboring Moorea. After filming was completed, Brando hired a local fisherman to ferry him to Tetiꞌaroa. It was "more gorgeous than anything I had anticipated," he marveled in his 1994 autobiography Songs My Mother Taught Me. Brando eventually purchased Tetiꞌaroa's islets (motus) from one of Williams's direct descendants, Mrs (Madame) Duran. He decided on the purchase in 1966. The reef and lagoon belong to French Polynesia. (Williams and his wife are buried on motu Rimatuu.) He had to overcome political interference and local resistance to purchase the atoll, which is now the property of French Polynesia. Many important archaeological sites have been located, identified, and studied on Tetiꞌaroa. Thus, the historical significance of Tetiꞌaroa to the people and the government of French Polynesia continue to make future development questionable at best.[5]

Wanting to live on the atoll, Brando built a small village on Motu Onetahi in 1970. It consisted of an airstrip to get there without breaching the reef, 12 simple bungalows, a kitchen hut, dining hall and bar, all built from local materials: coconut wood, thatch roofs and even large sea shells for sinks. The village became a place for friends, family and scientists studying the atoll's ecology and archaeology. Over the years, Brando spent as much time as he could there and used it as a getaway from his hectic life in Hollywood. Although he didn’t spend as much time there as he wished, it is said that he always cherished his moments on Tetiꞌaroa. During his stay on the island he was often visited by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Upon his death, Brando's son Teihotu lived on the island for some time. Eventually the village became a modest hotel managed by his Tahitian wife, Tarita Teriipaia, who had played his on-screen love in Mutiny on the Bounty. The hotel operated for more than 25 years, even after Brando left French Polynesia to return to Los Angeles. Many hotel guests lamented the lack of amenities normally found at an island resort.[6]

In 1980, the maxi yacht SY Condor of Bermuda ran aground on the Onetahi reef, which caused it to be shipwrecked and written off by insurers. Purportedly, Brando and the owner of the yacht engaged in a brief bidding war for rights to the vessel’s polished mahogany hull (as reported by its owner in the New Zealand yachting magazine Sail in 1981), which Brando, it is believed, wanted to use as a bar at a resort he planned to build on the island. The yacht was salvaged, and sent to New Zealand for repair. In 2002, two years before the actor's death, Brando signed a new will and trust agreement that left no instructions for Tetiꞌaroa. Following his death in 2004, the Tetiaroa Village Hotel was closed and the staff evicted from the atoll.[7] The atoll was closed to tourism.[8] In August 2004, French Polynesian vice-president Hiro Tefaarerea advocated for the atoll to be declared a nature reserve to prevent development.[9] Eventually, executors of the estate granted development rights to Pacific Beachcomber SC, a Tahitian company that owns hotels throughout French Polynesia. The Brando Resort was opened in July 2014.[10][11]

Flora and Fauna

The island provides habitat for the following seabird: Brown booby, Red-footed booby, Great Crested Tern, White Common Tern, Great Frigatebird, Brown noddy, Lesser Frigatebird, Sooty Tern, Grey-Backed Tern, and Black noddy. Shore and terrestrial birds include Pacific Reef Egret, Pacific Golden Plover, Wandering Tattler, Pacific Long-tailed Cuckoo, and Bristle-thighed Curlew.[12]

Tetiaroa hosts five of the seven marine species of turtle Hawksbill turtle, Green turtle, Leatherback turtle, Olive Ridley Turtle, and Loggerhead turtle.[13]

Tertiaroa hosts numerous marine mammals including: Humpback whale, Short-finned Pilot Whale, Rough-toothed Dolphin, Spinner Dolphin, Risso's Doplhin, Melon-headed Whale, Blainville's Beaked Whale, Cuvier's Beaked Whale, and Orca.[14]

Numerous bony fish, sharks, and rays are also present.[15]

Plants include the Fish-Poison Tree, Pacific Ironwood, Alexandrian Laurel, Coconut Tree, Island Walnut, Dye Fig, Beach Gardenia, Beach Heliotrope, Lantern Tree, Breadfruit, Lime, Sea Lettuce, and Vanilla amongst others.[16]

Conservation and Restoration

The presence of two invasive rat species significantly impacted the native vegetation, nesting seabird populations, Green Sea Turtle hatchlings, and land crabs. The Tetiaroa Society, Island Conservation, and The Brando Resort and other partners conducted an invasive rat eradication project in the summer of 2022.[17][18][19] After repeated pandemic-related disruptions, the operation took place over June and July 2022, covering 520 hectares of land and requiring more than 60 staff and volunteers.[20][21] The hope is that this project will restore the terrestrial ecosystems, protect endangered native birds and turtles, and enhance the resilience of surrounding coral reefs, making them more resistant to climate change. Additional benefits may be ensuring food security for the local population and eliminating reservoirs and vectors for human disease. In time, the atoll could become a translocation habitat for the Polynesian Ground Dove and the Tuamotu Sandpiper. The next phase of the restoration program will be extensive research and monitoring to record the benefits to the terrestrial and marine ecosystems.[22]

References

External links

• Tetiꞌaroa Island at NASA Earth Observatory

На других языках

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[de] Tetiaroa

Tetiaroa ist ein 42 km nördlich von Tahiti gelegenes Atoll im Pazifik, bestehend aus 12 bewachsenen Motus und einer Sandbank, die sich um die Lagune gruppieren.

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- [en] Tetiꞌaroa

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[es] Tetiaroa

Tetiaroa (Teti’aroa en tahitiano normalizado) es el único atolón del grupo de las islas de Barlovento del Archipiélago de la Sociedad, en la Polinesia Francesa. Está situado a 42 km al norte de Tahití.

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[fr] Tetiaroa

Tetiaroa (en tahitien : Teti'aroa) est un atoll faisant partie des îles du Vent dans l'archipel de la Société en Polynésie française. Il est l'unique île basse des îles du Vent, rattaché à la commune d'Arue au nord de Tahiti. Il est célèbre pour avoir été la propriété de Marlon Brando. Aujourd'hui propriété de la Polynésie française, il est toujours sous le coup d'un bail emphytéotique accordé à l'acteur. La partie relevant du littoral ou des sentiers littoraux reste accessible aux visiteurs, faisant partie du domaine public. L'atoll dispose d'une piste d'atterrissage privée, située sur le motu Onetahi et desservi par la compagnie Air Tetiaroa.

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[it] Tetiaroa

Tetiaroa (in tahitiano: Teti.mw-parser-output .Unicode{font-family:TITUS Cyberbit Basic,Code2000,Doulos SIL,Chrysanthi Unicode,Bitstream Cyberbit,Bitstream CyberBase,Bitstream Vera,Thryomanes,Gentium,GentiumAlt,Visual Geez Unicode,Lucida Grande,Arial Unicode MS,Microsoft Sans Serif,Lucida Sans Unicode;font-family:inherit}ʻaroa) è un atollo dell'arcipelago delle Isole del Vento facente parte delle Isole della Società, si trova a 59 km a nord di Papeete, la capitale della Polinesia Francese, una collettività territoriale d'oltremare francese nell'Oceano Pacifico.

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[ru] Тетиароа

Тетиароа (фр. Tetiaroa) — один из Наветренных островов архипелага Острова Общества во Французской Полинезии в Тихом океане, расположенный в 59 км к северу от Таити.

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