Highlight
Arai-Te-Tonga Marae
Rarotonga's most sacred marae: a 14th-century stone royal court in a quiet inland clearing.
Typical duration
45 min
Price
Free
From port
5 km / 3.1 mi
Transfer time
15 min
Indoor / Outdoor
outdoor
Queue risk
low
🕐 Best time to visit
Morning, combined with a ride round the island
Hidden in a grassy clearing on the old inland road at Tupapa, Arai-Te-Tonga is the island's most important ancient site: a marae and koutu (royal court) said to have been laid out by Rarotonga's first settlers around 1350 AD. Upright stones still mark where high chiefs were invested and offerings were made. There is no ticket booth and rarely another visitor, just an interpretation panel that explains what you are looking at. Treat it as the sacred place it still is: stay off the stones, keep voices low and take your photos from the edge.
Getting there from the port
Taxi, or Cook's Bus east to Tupapa then a short walk inland to Ara Metua at Maotangi Road