泰蒂亞羅阿環礁

歷史及擁有權

本環礁對大溪地的酋長有特殊意義：他們會在這裡唱歌、跳舞、釣魚及舉辦飲宴。 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. Teti'aroa was controlled by the chiefs of Pare-'Arue, and later, by members of the Pōmare Dynasty.
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 the HMS Bounty which eventually suffered a full mutiny.
The United States Exploring Expedition visited the island on 10 Sept. 1839.
In 1904, the royal family gave Teti'aroa to Johnston Walter Williams, the only dentist in Tahiti. Williams later became Consul of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1935. Williams managed Teti'aroa as a residence and a copra plantation.
In 1960, Marlon Brando 「discovered」 Teti'aroa 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 Teti'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'aroa's islets (motus) from one of Williams』 direct descendants, Mrs Duran. 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 Teti'aroa. Thus, the historical significance of Teti'aroa to the people and the government of French Polynesia continue to make future development and/or sale questionable at best.
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 archeology.
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 Teti'aroa. 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.
In 1980, the famous maxi yacht S/Y 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.
2002年，就在馬龍·白蘭度離世的前兩年，他簽署了一張新的遺囑及信託合約，但內容未有對本島的歸屬有任何描述。2004年當他離世後，他的遺產執行人向一家在法屬玻里尼西亞擁有多家酒店的大溪地公司Pacific Beachcomber SC批出發展權利。

後期發展

2009年，Pacific Beachcomber SC開始在本環礁進行發展。 第一期工程包括有飛機跑道的重建及重置，因為原來跑道的表面不單已無法修復，而且也未能符合重建時的航空規例要求。 此外，機場工地亦增設了浮塢，以方便從環礁朝海洋一側運送物資到潟湖的一側。 完工後，渡假村除了有一家豪華酒店、還有水療設施、研究站、員工村及私人的飛機跑道。
2014年2月，渡假村建設宣告完成，而渡假村亦於同年7月對外開放。渡假村的建設涉及馬龍·白蘭度的資產及其16名子女的8名。