Culture & History
Arai-Te-Tonga: Rarotonga’s most important marae
📍 Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Where
Off the Ara Metua (inland road), Matavera side
Opening hours
Daylight
Typical cost
Free
Arai-Te-Tonga is the most important marae — ceremonial site — on Rarotonga. A small sign off the Ara Metua points inland to a stone-marked koutu where chiefs were invested.
What you will see
Standing stones and stone platforms in a clearing. It is understated, and without the context it can look like not very much. With the context it is the political and spiritual centre of pre-contact Rarotonga.
How to behave here
This is tapu. Do not climb on the stones, remove anything, or treat it as a photo backdrop. A quiet visit is welcome; a careless one is not.
💡 Local tip
This is a sacred site, not an attraction. Do not climb on the stones, move anything, or picnic there. Look, read the sign, and leave it as you found it.
Listed as a local guide entry — not bookable through CI Booking. Details can change; it is worth confirming before you go.
Book something on Rarotonga
Booked direct with local operators — no booking fees.