4 Best Sights in Tubuai, The Other Islands

Near Mahu on the south coast is the home and grave of parliamentary speaker Noel Ilari, who was jailed by the French government in the 1950s on false charges. Details of the saga are on his gravestone. His home is now a modest guesthouse.

Tubuai has a number of marae—Polynesian meeting grounds or temples—along with ahu (platforms for the dead). They are generally poorly maintained in the Christian environment.

More than half the people live in the town of Mataura on the northern coast, about 1.5 km (1 mi) east of the wharf. You'll find the town hall, police station, shops, and a small market in the village, though in truth there is little for the tourist to buy.

Tubuai had a role in the best-known naval mutiny, that aboard HMS Bounty in 1789. After master's mate Fletcher Christian seized the ship, setting Captain William Bligh adrift, the mutineers sailed the South Pacific looking for a place to hide, eventually ending up on Pitcairn Island. In the course of their travels they spent time in Tubuai, building Fort George, southeast of Taahuaia and around 3 km (2 mi) east of the wharf. Nothing remains of the original fort, but a replica has recently been built.