Taputapuātea

Raiatea is called Havai'i in tradition, the homeland from which voyaging canoes set out across the Pacific, and Taputapuātea was its ceremonial heart: a complex of marae, open stone platforms and courts on the shore beside a pass in the reef, where chiefs and priests from across the region gathered and from which canoes departed for Hawaii, Aotearoa and beyond. The main marae is a rectangular court with a raised ahu of upright basalt slabs, some more than three metres tall, standing against the lagoon. It was inscribed by UNESCO in 2017 as a place of exceptional significance to Polynesian culture, and it remains actively used for ceremony, with delegations arriving from across the Pacific.

What you actually see

• Marae Taputapuātea - the main court and its standing basalt slabs by the lagoon.
• The reef pass - Te Ava Mo'a, the sacred pass canoes departed through.
• The wider complex - several marae along the shore, linked by paths.
• Interpretive guiding - local guides explaining the site's role in navigation and ceremony.

When to go

May to October is the dry season and the most comfortable. The site is quiet most of the year and ceremonies are occasional; if one is taking place, visitors should stay well back or leave.

Honest expectations

This is a sacred site, not a ruin to climb on: do not walk on the marae platforms or move stones, and follow whatever the guides ask. Without a guide the site reads as low stone walls by a lagoon and its significance is entirely invisible. Raiatea sees few visitors and facilities are limited compared with Bora Bora or Moorea.

Nearby

Taha'a shares the lagoon; Bora Bora is a short flight or boat trip northwest.