Tetiaroa, one of the
Society IslandsThe Society Islands are a group of islands in the south Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands;...
, is an
atollAn atoll is an island of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu
OED. Its first recorded use in English was in 1625 as atollon...
located 59 km (36.5 miles) due north of
PapeetePapeete is the capital of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The commune of Papeete is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands, of which Papeete is the administrative capital...
, the capital of
French PolynesiaFrench Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
located on the island of
TahitiTahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. The island had a population of 178,133 inhabitants according to the August 2007 census. This makes it the most populous island of French Polynesia,...
.
Tetiaroa is administratively part of the commune (municipality) of
ArueArue is a commune in the suburbs of Papeete in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Arue is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands, themselves part of the Society Islands....
. Tetiaroa has one inhabitant:
Marlon BrandoMarlon Brando, Jr. was an American actor whose body of work spanned over half a century. He was named the fourth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute, and part of Time magazine's Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century He is widely considered one of the...
's son Teihotu Brando.
In 1789, three deserters from the H.M.S. Bounty became the first Europeans to visit the island during the ship's 23-week stay in Tahiti.
Their departure from that ship was a result of what became known as the infamous Mutiny on The Bounty.
In 1904, the
Royal Pomare Family of Tahiti gave the island to dentist Johnston Walter Williams.
As a
private islandA private island is a privately owned island. Privately owned islands exist all over the world, and many can be bought. There are many thousands of uninhabited islands in the world with potential for commercial development of tourist resorts or private recreational use. Commercial development of...
, it passed through the hands of other owners until 1965, when
Marlon BrandoMarlon Brando, Jr. was an American actor whose body of work spanned over half a century. He was named the fourth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute, and part of Time magazine's Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century He is widely considered one of the...
, after filming
Mutiny on the BountyMutiny on the Bounty is a 1962 film starring Marlon Brando, based on the novel Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. The film retells the 1789 real-life mutiny aboard H.M.A.V. Bounty led by Fletcher Christian against the ship's captain, William Bligh...
, bought it outright from Williams' daughter.
Brando lived on the island on and off until 1990.
In 1981, famous
maxi yachtThe word maxi can either refer to a large racing sailboat of typically more than 21 metres or to a well known range of smaller production cruiser/racer yachts....
S/Y
Condor of Bermudathumb|Condor's Carbon Fibre Mast, 1977Condor of Bermuda was a maxi yacht campaining under the leadership and funding of London based businessman Bob Bell - Originally called "Condor" but re-named "Heath's Condor" for the 1977/1978 Whitbread Round the World Race after Bell's association with...
ran aground on the (?)Onetahi reef; and was caused to be shipwrecked and written off by insurers.
Tetiaroa, one of the
Society IslandsThe Society Islands are a group of islands in the south Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands;...
, is an
atollAn atoll is an island of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu
OED. Its first recorded use in English was in 1625 as atollon...
located 59 km (36.5 miles) due north of
PapeetePapeete is the capital of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The commune of Papeete is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands, of which Papeete is the administrative capital...
, the capital of
French PolynesiaFrench Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
located on the island of
TahitiTahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. The island had a population of 178,133 inhabitants according to the August 2007 census. This makes it the most populous island of French Polynesia,...
.
Administration
Tetiaroa is administratively part of the commune (municipality) of
ArueArue is a commune in the suburbs of Papeete in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Arue is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands, themselves part of the Society Islands....
. Tetiaroa has one inhabitant:
Marlon BrandoMarlon Brando, Jr. was an American actor whose body of work spanned over half a century. He was named the fourth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute, and part of Time magazine's Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century He is widely considered one of the...
's son Teihotu Brando.
History and Ownership
In 1789, three deserters from the H.M.S. Bounty became the first Europeans to visit the island during the ship's 23-week stay in Tahiti.
Their departure from that ship was a result of what became known as the infamous Mutiny on The Bounty.
In 1904, the
Royal Pomare Family of Tahiti gave the island to dentist Johnston Walter Williams.
As a
private islandA private island is a privately owned island. Privately owned islands exist all over the world, and many can be bought. There are many thousands of uninhabited islands in the world with potential for commercial development of tourist resorts or private recreational use. Commercial development of...
, it passed through the hands of other owners until 1965, when
Marlon BrandoMarlon Brando, Jr. was an American actor whose body of work spanned over half a century. He was named the fourth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute, and part of Time magazine's Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century He is widely considered one of the...
, after filming
Mutiny on the BountyMutiny on the Bounty is a 1962 film starring Marlon Brando, based on the novel Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. The film retells the 1789 real-life mutiny aboard H.M.A.V. Bounty led by Fletcher Christian against the ship's captain, William Bligh...
, bought it outright from Williams' daughter.
Brando lived on the island on and off until 1990.
In 1981, famous
maxi yachtThe word maxi can either refer to a large racing sailboat of typically more than 21 metres or to a well known range of smaller production cruiser/racer yachts....
S/Y
Condor of Bermudathumb|Condor's Carbon Fibre Mast, 1977Condor of Bermuda was a maxi yacht campaining under the leadership and funding of London based businessman Bob Bell - Originally called "Condor" but re-named "Heath's Condor" for the 1977/1978 Whitbread Round the World Race after Bell's association with...
ran aground on the (?)Onetahi reef; and was caused to be shipwrecked and written off by insurers. Allegedly, Brando, and the Owner of the yacht, engaged in a brief bidding war for right's to the vessel's polished mahogany hull, which Brando is reportedly to have desired for use as a bar on a potential resort to be built on the island. The Yacht was salvaged, and sent to
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
for repair.
At various times Brando talked of plans to develop a resort on the island, but the enormous costs involved made it financially impossible for him to carry through on his ideas. In June 2003, Brando granted his friend
Michael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson , known as the "King of Pop", was an American musician and one of the most commercially successful and influential entertainers of all time...
"in consideration of gratitude and affection", the lifelong use of 2000 m² (a half-acre) on the islet of Onetahi, in the west of Tetiaroa.
While earlier revisions of Brando's will had included provisions putting the island into a trust, his will as it existed in 2004 included no specific provision for the island. In 2005, the executors of the Brando estate sold development rights for $2 million to Richard Bailey, a property developer based in Tahiti. A new luxury resort is currently being built on the atoll. The planned per night price for accommodations is rumored to be $1500. Air Moorea put a claim on the island saying it is owed $460,000 for the service it provided in bringing people to and from the island. At the moment, the atoll's "airport" is closed for violating safety regulations; the airstrip is not currently long enough.
External links