Tetiʻaroa

File:Tetiaroa.jpg

Teti{{okina}}aroa is administratively part of the commune of Arue, whose main part is in the northeastern part of Tahiti. The atoll is located {{convert|53|km}} north of Tahiti. The atoll has a total surface area of {{convert|6|km2|0}}; approximately {{convert|585|ha}} of sand divided by 12 motus (islets) with varying surface areas. The lagoon is approximately {{convert|7|km|1}} wide and {{convert|30|m}} 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).

Teti{{okina}}aroa has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af), slightly above a tropical monsoon climate (Am). The average annual temperature in Teti{{okina}}aroa is {{cvt|26.3|C}}. The average annual rainfall is {{cvt|1883.1|mm}} with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in March, at around {{cvt|27.3|C}}, and lowest in August, at around {{convert|24.9|C}}. The highest temperature ever recorded in Teti{{okina}}aroa was {{cvt|35.5|C}} on 20 March 1995; the coldest temperature ever recorded was {{cvt|14.5|C}} on 25 July 1987.

{{Weather box

|location= Teti{{okina}}aroa (1981–2010 averages, extremes 1980−present)

|metric first= Y

|single line= Y

|Jan record high C = 35.0

|Feb record high C = 34.8

|Mar record high C = 35.5

|Apr record high C = 35.0

|May record high C = 33.0

|Jun record high C = 33.0

|Jul record high C = 32.4

|Aug record high C = 32.0

|Sep record high C = 33.0

|Oct record high C = 34.5

|Nov record high C = 34.0

|Dec record high C = 35.0

|year record high C = 35.5

|Jan high C = 30.2

|Feb high C = 30.4

|Mar high C = 30.4

|Apr high C = 30.1

|May high C = 29.3

|Jun high C = 28.2

|Jul high C = 27.7

|Aug high C = 27.5

|Sep high C = 28.4

|Oct high C = 28.7

|Nov high C = 29.2

|Dec high C = 29.9

|year high C = 29.2

|Jan mean C = 27.0

|Feb mean C = 27.3

|Mar mean C = 27.3

|Apr mean C = 27.1

|May mean C = 26.4

|Jun mean C = 25.6

|Jul mean C = 25.0

|Aug mean C = 24.9

|Sep mean C = 25.7

|Oct mean C = 25.9

|Nov mean C = 26.3

|Dec mean C = 26.6

|year mean C = 26.3

|Jan low C = 23.7

|Feb low C = 24.1

|Mar low C = 24.2

|Apr low C = 24.2

|May low C = 23.5

|Jun low C = 23.0

|Jul low C = 22.4

|Aug low C = 22.3

|Sep low C = 23.0

|Oct low C = 23.2

|Nov low C = 23.5

|Dec low C = 23.4

|year low C = 23.4

|Jan record low C = 16.0

|Feb record low C = 17.9

|Mar record low C = 17.6

|Apr record low C = 17.0

|May record low C = 17.0

|Jun record low C = 18.0

|Jul record low C = 14.5

|Aug record low C = 15.0

|Sep record low C = 17.0

|Oct record low C = 15.0

|Nov record low C = 16.0

|Dec record low C = 17.0

|year record low C = 14.5

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 250.8

|Feb rain mm = 183.8

|Mar rain mm = 179.9

|Apr rain mm = 178.8

|May rain mm = 125.1

|Jun rain mm = 105.2

|Jul rain mm = 99.8

|Aug rain mm = 73.4

|Sep rain mm = 66.5

|Oct rain mm = 147.0

|Nov rain mm = 142.9

|Dec rain mm = 329.9

|year rain mm = 1883.1

|unit rain days = 1.0 mm

|Jan rain days = 16.3

|Feb rain days = 14.1

|Mar rain days = 14.3

|Apr rain days = 12.2

|May rain days = 11.8

|Jun rain days = 9.7

|Jul rain days = 10.7

|Aug rain days = 8.3

|Sep rain days = 7.4

|Oct rain days = 10.4

|Nov rain days = 12.8

|Dec rain days = 17.7

|year rain days = 145.6

|source 1 = Meteociel{{cite web|url=https://www.meteociel.fr/obs/clim/normales_records.php?code=98712001|title=Normales et records pour Tetiaroa 1 (987)|publisher=Meteociel|access-date=3 June 2022}}}}

File:Bout de piste Tetiaroa.jpg

File:Motus à Tetiaroa.jpg

The atoll of Teti{{okina}}aroa 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{{okina}}apori{{okina}}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. Teti{{okina}}aroa was controlled by the chiefs of Pare-'Arue, and later, by members of the Pōmare Dynasty.{{cite book|last1=Salmond|first1=Anne|title=Aphrodite's Island|date=2010|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley|isbn=9780520261143|pages=[https://archive.org/details/aphroditesisland00salm/page/110 110,349]|url=https://archive.org/details/aphroditesisland00salm/page/110}}

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.{{cite book|last1=Stanton|first1=William|title=The Great United States Exploring Expedition|date=1975|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley|isbn=0520025571|pages=[https://archive.org/details/greatunitedstate00will/page/122 122-123]|url=https://archive.org/details/greatunitedstate00will/page/122}}

In 1904, the royal family sold Teti{{okina}}aroa 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.[http://www.thetahititraveler.com/islandguide/tetiaroaintro.asp The Tahiti Traveler] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728104811/http://www.thetahititraveler.com/islandguide/tetiaroaintro.asp |date=28 July 2011 }} Williams managed Teti{{okina}}aroa as a residence and a copra plantation.

In 1960, Marlon Brando "discovered" Teti{{okina}}aroa while scouting filming locations for Mutiny on the Bounty, which was shot on Tahiti and neighbouring Mo'orea. After filming was completed, Brando hired a local fisherman to ferry him to Teti{{okina}}aroa. It was "more gorgeous than anything I had anticipated," he marveled in his 1994 autobiography Songs My Mother Taught Me. Brando eventually purchased Teti{{okina}}aroa's islets (motus) from one of Williams's direct descendants, Mrs. (Madame) Duran. Williams and his wife are buried on Motu Rimatuu. Brando decided on the purchase in 1966, having to endure political interference and local resistance to secure the atoll, reef and lagoon, all of which is now the property of French Polynesia. Many important archaeological sites have been located, identified, and studied on Teti{{okina}}aroa. Thus, the historical significance of Teti{{okina}}aroa to the people (and the government) of French Polynesia continues to make future development questionable at best.[http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=37008 NASA Earth Observatory]. Earthobservatory.nasa.gov. Retrieved on 2021-12-23.

Wanting to live on the atoll, Brando built a small village on Motu Onetahi in 1970. It consisted of an airstrip to arrive 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 researchers studying the atoll's ecology and archaeology. Over the years, Brando spent as much time on the atoll as he could, and valued it as a getaway from his hectic life in Hollywood. Although, ultimately, he didn't spend as much time there as he'd wished to, it is said that he always cherished his moments on Teti{{okina}}aroa. During his stays 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 had to leave French Polynesia to return to Los Angeles. Many hotel guests, arriving with higher expectations, lamented the lack of amenities normally found at an island "resort".Heller, Matthew (23 October 2005) [https://web.archive.org/web/20070701085417/http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/magazine/la-tm-brando43oct23,0,6442516,full.story?coll=la-home-magazineBy "Trouble in Paradise]", Los Angeles Times

In 1980, the maxi yacht SY {{ship||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 over rights to the vessel's polished mahogany hull (as reported by the owner in the New Zealand yachting magazine Sail, in 1981), which Brando (allegedly) wanted to use as a bar at a new 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 Teti{{okina}}aroa. Following his death in 2004, the Teti{{okina}}Aroa Village Hotel was closed and the staff was evicted from the atoll.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/147625/french-polynesian-hotel-on-tetiaroa-closes |title=French Polynesian hotel on Tetiaroa closes |publisher=RNZ |date=10 March 2004 |access-date=19 July 2022}} The atoll was closed to tourism.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/147670/french-polynesian-tetiaroa-closed-to-all-tourism |title=French Polynesian Tetiaroa closed to all tourism |publisher=RNZ |date=12 March 2004 |access-date=19 July 2022}} In August 2004, French Polynesian vice-president Hiro Tefaarerea advocated for the atoll to be declared a nature reserve to prevent development.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/149960/call-to-create-reserve-of-brando's-french-polynesian-atoll |title=Call to create reserve of Brando's French Polynesian atoll |publisher=RNZ |date=3 August 2004 |access-date=19 July 2022}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/248881/brando-luxury-resort-open-in-french-polynesia |title=Brando luxury resort open in French Polynesia |publisher=RNZ |date=3 July 2014 |access-date=19 July 2022}}{{cite web |url=http://howtospendit.ft.com/destinations/48103-marlon-brandos-private-island-escape-in-polynesia |title=Marlon Brando's private-island escape in Polynesia |publisher=How to spend it |date=16 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224212257/http://howtospendit.ft.com/destinations/48103-marlon-brandos-private-island-escape-in-polynesia |archive-date=24 February 2014}}

The island provides habitat for the following seabird species: Brown booby, red-footed booby, great crested tern, white tern, great frigatebird, lesser frigatebird, brown noddy, black noddy, sooty tern, and the grey-backed or spectacled tern. Shore and terrestrial birds include the Pacific reef egret, Pacific golden plover, wandering tattler, Pacific long-tailed cuckoo, and the bristle-thighed curlew.{{cite web|title=Birds|url=https://www.tetiaroasociety.org/island/birds|publisher=Tetiaroa Society}}

Teti{{okina}}aroa hosts five of the seven marine species of turtle, namely the Hawksbill turtle, green turtle, leatherback turtle, olive Ridley turtle, and loggerhead turtle.{{cite web|title=Turtles|url=https://www.tetiaroasociety.org/island/turtles|publisher=Tetiaroa Society}}

Teti{{okina}}aroa hosts numerous marine mammals, including the humpback whale, short-finned pilot whale, rough-toothed dolphin, spinner dolphin, Risso's dolphin, melon-headed whale, Blainville's beaked whale, Cuvier's beaked whale, and even some migrating pods of orca.{{cite web|title=marine-mammals|url=https://www.tetiaroasociety.org/island/marine-mammals|publisher=Tetiaroa Society}}

Numerous bony fishes, sharks, and rays are also present.{{cite web|title=fish|url=https://www.tetiaroasociety.org/island/fish|publisher=Tetiaroa Society}}

Plants include the fish-poison tree, Pacific ironwood, Alexandrian laurel, coconut palm, island walnut, dye fig, beach gardenia, beach heliotrope, lantern tree, breadfruit, lime tree, sea lettuce, and vanilla orchids, amongst others.{{cite web|title=Plants|url=https://www.tetiaroasociety.org/island/plants|publisher=Tetiaroa Society}}

The presence of two invasive rat species significantly impacted the native vegetation, nesting seabird populations, sea turtle hatchlings, and land crabs. The Teti{{okina}}aroa Society, Island Conservation, and the Brando Resort (among other partners) initiated an invasive rat-eradication project in the summer of 2022.{{cite web|title=The rats evicted from paradise|url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201008-palmyra-how-tropical-islands-got-rid-of-their-rats|publisher=BBC}}{{cite web|title=Tetiaroa Atoll Restoration Project|url=https://www.tetiaroasociety.org/programs/conservation/tetiaroa-habitat-restoration-program|publisher=Tetiaroa Society}}{{cite web|title=Rats took over this Pacific island. Now drones are leading the fightback|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/rat-pacific-island-drones|publisher=Wired}} After repeated pandemic-related disruptions, the operation took place over June and July 2022, covering 520 hectares of land and requiring more than 60 members of staff, plus volunteers.{{cite journal |last1=Samaniego|first1=A.|last2=Griffiths|first2=R.|last3=Gronwald|first3=M.|last4=Murphy|first4=F.|last5=Le Rohellec|first5=M.|last6=Oppel|first6=S.|last7=Meyer|first7=J-Y|last8=Russell|first8=J. C.|date=2020|title= A successful Pacific rat Rattus exulans eradication on tropical Reiono Island (Tetiaroa Atoll, French Polynesia) despite low baiting rates.|journal=Conservation Evidence |issue=17 |pages=12–14 |url=https://conservationevidencejournal.com/reference/pdf/7229}}{{cite web|title=Tetiaroa Restoration to Benefit Multiple Linked Ecosystems|url=https://www.islandconservation.org/press-release-tetiaroa-restoration-to-benefit-multiple-linked-ecosystems/|publisher=Island Conservation}} 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, as well as 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 subsequent benefits to the terrestrial and marine ecosystems.{{cite web|title=Tetiaroa Atoll Restoration Project|url=https://www.islandconservation.org/tetiaroa-atoll/|publisher=Island Conservation}}

{{Infobox airport

| name = Teti{{okina}}aroa Airport

| IATA = TTI

| ICAO = NTTE

| coordinates = {{coord|17|0|56|S|149|35|20|W|region:PF|display=inline}}

| pushpin_map = French Polynesia

| pushpin_label_position =

| pushpin_label = TTI

| pushpin_map_alt =

| pushpin_mapsize =

| pushpin_image =

| pushpin_map_caption = Location in French Polynesia

| metric-rwy = Y

| r1-number = 06/24

| r1-length-m = 775

| r1-length-f = 2,543

}}

Teti{{okina}}aroa Airport {{Airport codes|TTI|NTTE}} is an airport on the atoll.{{Cite web |title=Tetiaroa - French Polynesia |url=https://www.world-airport-codes.com/french-polynesia/tetiaroa-is-9231.html |access-date=2023-09-03 |website=World Airport Codes}}{{Cite web |last=Ferrière |first=Jacques Franc de |title=Air Tetiaroa en ordre de vol |url=https://www.tahiti-infos.com/Air-Tetiaroa-en-ordre-de-vol_a103604.html |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=TAHITI INFOS, les informations de Tahiti |language=fr}} The airport is served by Air Tetiaroa, a charter airline who primarily operate flights for guests of the Brando Resort to Faa'a International Airport.{{Cite news |date=2014-02-19 |title=Marlon Brando en rêvait, Tahiti le fait |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/voyages/2014/02/19/30003-20140219ARTFIG00004-marlon-brando-en-revait-tahiti-le-fait.php |access-date=2024-01-30 |newspaper=Le Figaro |language=fr}}{{Cite web |title=French Polynesia Resort {{!}} Accommodations {{!}} Vacations in Tahiti |url=https://thebrando.com/fr/accommodations/ |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=The Brando |language=fr}} The airport currently has no scheduled commercial service.

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=37008 Teti{{okina}}aroa Island] at NASA Earth Observatory

{{Society Islands}}

Category:Atolls of the Society Islands

Category:Marlon Brando

Category:Island restoration