[5] New Zealand archaeologist Atholl John Anderson has argued similarly that the island of Rapa was settled around 1200 A.D.[7] At Atiahara, on the north coast of Tubuai, a near-beach settlement was excavated beginning in 1995 under the direction of American archaeologist Mark Eddowes, probably from a very early settlement phase.

Food remains from the waste pits suggest that the inhabitants fed mainly on shellfish (fish, mussels, crustaceans) from the lagoon.

[8] According to the current state of research, an initial settlement of the Austral Islands can be assumed at the beginning of the second millennium AD.

There were strictly separate dwellings, built of perishable materials, for the aristocracy, the priests, the middle class (artisans, artists), warriors, adolescents and pubescent girls.

[9] Due to increasing tribal warfare, the beach settlements were abandoned, probably in the seventeenth or eighteenth century.

The inhabitants retreated to heavily fortified settlements in the inland hills, comparable to the Pā of New Zealand.

[10] The Norwegian archaeological expedition to Easter Island and the eastern Pacific in 1956, led by Thor Heyerdahl, determined an antiquity of between 200 and 300 years for a fortified settlement on Rapa's Morongo Uta hill and dated the Hatututi castle complex of Raivavae to 1700 AD.

Numerous wars and probably also overexploitation of natural resources may have drastically reduced the population even before the arrival of Europeans.

After HMS Endeavour anchored off the island for the night, Cook launched the pinnace the next day under the command of Lieutenant Gore.

The next day Gayangos had a ship leave Tahiti with Lieutenant Benarcosi and two translators, but they were prevented from landing in Mahanatoa Bay by several war canoes.

After the mutiny of the Bounty on April 28, 1789, off Tofua, the ship first headed for Tubuai, but only stayed there for a week before sailing for Tahiti.

However, internal disputes and bloody clashes with the islanders, in which 66 Tubuans were killed, caused the Bounty to depart only three months later.

He left as governor one of his Tahitian chiefs, who prepared the ground for the LMS Protestant missionaries who followed from Moorea a year later.

In 1862, a two-year incursion of the so-called "Blackbirders" began, who took more than 3500 South Pacific islanders to Peru and Chile as slave labor.

Thirteen chiefs met and decided to capture the ship and crew and hand them over to the French authorities in Tahiti.

A subsequent attempt by the barque Misti to capture the work was abandoned when the captain learned of the Cora's fate.

They are the product of a hot spot beneath the still active Macdonald seamount, which rises 338 kilometers east-southeast of Bass Rocks (Marotori) to about 40 meters below sea level.

Maria, on the other hand, the oldest, is an atoll whose volcanic central island sank into the sea long ago, leaving only four motus.

The cool winters and strong winds prohibit ultra tropical fruits such as coconuts to thrive,[22] as it has dropped to 8.5 °C (47.3 °F) in September.

[25] On the four larger islands (Rapa, Raivavae, Tubuai and Rurutu) the vegetation is dominated by secondary growth.

Guava (Psidium guajava), probably introduced by Europeans, has also spread widely and forms extensive tangled stands up to middle elevations.

However, large areas have been damaged by previous slash-and-burn and goat grazing, and open grasslands have formed with few low-growing trees.

The very fertile soils and the warm and humid climate make it possible to grow vegetables, tubers (taro and yams) and tropical and subtropical fruits.

The islands can be reached by regular supply boat from Tahiti and by light aircraft from Tahiti-Faa'a airport.

Politically, the Austral Islands today belong to French Polynesia (Pays d'outre-mer – POM) and are therefore affiliated with the EU.

[27] The reason is the high migration of young people from the isolated archipelago to other parts of Polynesia or to France for their better job prospects.

The best known work of art stolen from the Austral Islands is certainly the sculpture of the God A'a, discovered in Rurutu and currently exhibited at the British Museum in London.

The Austral Islands are also known for their large vertical drums or "pahu" often decorated with human figures that often welcomed Christian explorers or missionaries.

Other objects used to dress the people or personalities of the islands have been discovered, such as elaborate hairstyles as well as large crowns and necklaces of hair or feathers with shell or ivory pendants.