Note: This article recounts an experience from September 2001—24 years ago.
Back in September 2001, I found myself on Tetiaroa for the fifth time. By then, my annual visits had made me something of a regular—enough that I’d gotten to know a member of the Brando family, I call him here Tama. We’d fish together, have a few drinks at the bar, and chat about life on the atoll.
Paradise… With Trash?
One day, I mentioned to Tama how much trash I kept seeing along the beaches. It was hard to believe, considering that 11 out of the 12 islands here are totally uninhabited! Tama nodded, looking frustrated. “Most of it washes in from the open sea,” he explained. The currents carry everything over the reef and deposit it all around the lagoon. He hated seeing it too.
He also told me about fishermen from Tahiti. They come out to Tetiaroa, especially to a little island called Aie, to fish outside the reef. It’s easy for them to land there with their inflatable boats, and unfortunately, they usually leave a mess behind—old gear, trash, and sometimes even fish illegally inside the lagoon. The Brando family is against it, but the lagoon is huge, and it’s impossible to keep an eye on everything. Plus, these fishing grounds have been used by their families for generations. If only they’d just clean up after themselves, it wouldn’t be such a problem.
Patrol to Motu Aie
Tama invited me to join him on a patrol over to Motu Aie. I jumped at the chance. We took a motorboat—the farthest out I’d ever been on Tetiaroa. After tying up on the shore and crossing the small island, we found the fishermen’s camp: two old rusty freezers and piles of garbage everywhere. The freezers were filled with ice and used to store illegal catches. Tama tried to disable the freezers, but he knew it wouldn’t do much. He was so annoyed by the fishermen’s carelessness—if only they’d take their trash with them!
I took photos of everything. It made me genuinely sad. I love this atoll deeply, and seeing it disrespected like this hurt.
Tama even took some fishing gear the poachers had left behind—he had every right to.
Volunteering for a Clean-Up
Back at the bar, I told Tama I’d like to help clean up the islands. He looked at me, surprised. “Andi, you’re a guest—why do you want to do that?” I told him, “I love Tetiaroa as much as you do. It hurts to see it like this, and I feel partly responsible, too. I mean, I also generate trash that someone else has to deal with.” He nodded and said he’d supply me with trash bags and drop me off on Rimatuu the next day for my own clean-up mission.
He didn’t set a fixed time to pick me up—he’d come by and check on me later. All the collected trash (and the hotel’s waste) would be burned near the airstrip. Not ideal, but it was the only option on a remote atoll like this.
The Sad Reality of Cleaning Up
The next day, Tama dropped me off on Rimatuu with a stack of big blue trash bags. I started picking up rubbish right away. Within minutes, the first bag was full—and I hadn’t even made a dent in the beach! Plastic bottles, jerry cans, old flip-flops… If it floats, it ends up here. The worst were the plastic bags—deadly for sea life, since animals often mistake them for food.
I quickly filled all 15 bags I had. Spread out over just 100 meters of beach, it was a wild sight. Honestly, it was depressing. I realized I’d never even be able to clear one whole section of beach, and with the next tide, more trash would just wash in.
When I spotted Tama coming back in a bigger boat, I could see his face as he saw the line of blue bags along the sand. He just shook his head sadly.
He thanked me—no guest had ever done that before. I was grateful to help, but sad that it wasn’t enough. This is a job for a whole team, and it needs to be done regularly.
Most importantly, though, people need to realize that when they throw trash into the ocean, they’re destroying their own future.
About Tetiaroa: More Than Just a Movie Star’s Hideaway
Tetiaroa is a jaw-dropping atoll in French Polynesia, about 50 km north of Tahiti. Once a retreat for Tahitian royalty, it became famous after Marlon Brando bought it in the 1960s. Today, it’s still super exclusive—best known for its ultra-luxury eco-resort, The Brando.
But there’s much more to Tetiaroa than celebrities and fancy villas. The atoll is made up of 12 small islands (motus) surrounding a turquoise lagoon, most of them wild and untouched. It’s a haven for seabirds, sea turtles, and all sorts of marine life. Sadly, as my story shows, even the most remote paradise isn’t immune to our global plastic problem.
If you ever get the chance to visit, remember: leave only footprints, take only memories—and maybe a bag of trash or two!
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