By nine A.M. on a February morning, the temperature on Tetiaroa Atoll—a ring of 13 islets, known as motus, encircling a turquoise lagoon in the South Pacific—had already reached 89 degrees. With Connecticut in the icy grip of winter, I felt almost guilty looking out at the ocean, the blinding white sand, and the coconut palms. The day before, I had flown 35 miles from Tahiti to Tetiaroa, both part of French Polynesia, a semi-autonomous territory of France made up of 118 islands. It was here that a remarkable story of conservation and hospitality began, when Marlon Brando first stepped off a fishing boat more than six decades ago.
The actor died in 2004, but starting with the Brando, the exclusive resort that bears his name, his presence endures across Tetiaroa. On my second day, I went exploring with Joan Dobson, who organizes scientific activities for the Tetiaroa Society, a nonprofit that conducts research on the atoll’s eco-systems from a nearby field station.
