Via Nostalgia
  • Chat
  • Trips
  • Explore
  • Saved
  • Themes
  • Routes
  • Essays
  • Books
  • Works
  • Heritage
  • Lists
  • Subscribe
Appearance
Sign In
Via Nostalgia
Taputapuātea 1
Taputapuātea 2
Taputapuātea 3
Taputapuātea 4
Taputapuātea 5
© UNESCO World Heritage Centre
UNESCO WHCCulturalInscribed 2017

Taputapuātea

Overview

Taputapuātea on Ra’iātea Island is at the centre of the ‘Polynesian Triangle’, a vast portion of the Pacific Ocean, dotted with islands, and the last part of the globe to be settled by humans. The property includes two forested valleys, a portion of lagoon and coral reef and a strip of open ocean. At the heart of the property is the Taputapuātea marae complex, a political, ceremonial and funerary centre. It is characterized by several marae, with different functions. Widespread in Polynesia, the marae were places where the world of the living intersected the world of the ancestors and the gods. Taputapuātea is an exceptional testimony to 1,000 years of mā'ohi civilization.

About Taputapuātea

Taputapuātea is a commune of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The commune of Taputapuātea is located on the island of Raiatea, in the administrative subdivision of the Leeward Islands, themselves part of the Society Islands. At the 2022 census it had a population of 5,007. The commune was named after a large marae complex which was the religious center of eastern Polynesia for roughly 1000 years. The archaeological site of Taputapuatea marae is still today the most famous landmark of Raiatea, and it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017.

Read more on Wikipedia

Selection Criteria

(iii)(iv)

Components(1 location)

Details

Countries
France
ISO Codes
FR
Area
2,124 ha
Coordinates
-16.8414, -151.3724
View on UNESCO World Heritage Centre
← All UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Stay Nearby

Taputapuātea

Attractions & Tickets

Taputapuātea

Getting Here

Taputapuātea