Hunter, Hatutu - Paradise Islands?

Uninhabited islands, but known for their famous shipwrecks

Hunter, Hatutu, Halaveli Islands… Do these names mean anything to you? No trace near or far in your genealogical tree? No need to panic, this is completely normal, in fact, it's quite the opposite. Why? Quite simply because these are uninhabited islands.

Most of these small islands are located in the Pacific or Indian Ocean. For example, Hatutu is in French Polynesia and has an area of 6.6 km². Even smaller, Hunter Island measures just 1 km². Despite this, some of them show traces of temporary settlements, particularly on Hatutu. If some of you have budding Robinson Crusoes among your ancestors, perhaps they stayed on these islands. 

Uninhabited islands are not very conducive to human life, and it would take a bit of madness to voluntarily exile oneself to such an island in complete self-sufficiency. Most of those who passed through are castaways, some of whom remain in memory. For example, Alexandre Selkirk, the man who inspired Daniel Defoe to write Robinson Crusoe. Although he asked to be abandoned on the island because of the ship's deplorable condition, he immediately changed his mind upon setting foot on land, but the captain refused to turn back to rescue him. 

The sailor left for 4 years of solitude, for contrary to legend, he did not meet Friday, but only dogs, goats, and wild cats… enough to help him survive until his rescue on February 2, 1709. 

Another famous castaway: Pedro Luis Serrano, a Spanish sailor, who remained on an island for 7 years, located in the Pacific or the Caribbean, depending on the version. But perhaps it is better to be shipwrecked on a deserted island than on an island inhabited by cannibals, as experienced by James Cook in Hawaii on February 14, 1779, in what - an ironic detail - was once called… the Sandwich Islands. cannibals, as experienced by James Cook in Hawaii on February 14, 1779, in what - an ironic detail - was once called… the Sandwich Islands.

You will have understood that on these tiny patches of land, there is no need to search the archives or other registers for an ancestor, unless you are convinced that you descend from a wild animal. Since there is little chance that these islands contain information about your genealogy, why not imagine that one of your ancestors was an explorer? Perhaps one of them visited Hunter or Hatutu Islands.