
The Brando
Tetiaroa, French Polynesia
Tetiaroa was long the retreat of the Pomare, sovereigns of Tahiti, who came here to rest in the shade of the motu. The atoll is no more than a ring of motu resting on the coral, planted with coconut palms and pandanus. Frigatebirds and boobies nest on Tahuna Iti; Rimatu'u keeps the stones of its marae in an abandoned coconut grove. On a clear day, the ridges of Tahiti show to the south.