POLYNESIA:  Taputapuatea

                            

          

 

Photographer: Christine Osborne

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The Taputapuatea complex on Ra`iatea, largest of the Leeward Islands lying to the north-west of Tahiti, is the most significant religious site in French Polynesia. Ra`iatea is recognised as a `sacred island` since it is believed to have been where the early Polynesian migrations landed on arrival from Hawaii. Tradition also holds that it was the departure point for other great voyages of exploration. Ra`aitea is enclosed by the same coral reef surrounding the adjacent island of Taha`a. Both islands are lush tropical paradises with classic South Seas landscapes of swaying coconut palms and turquoise lagoons. The Taputapuatea temple complex is located near the entrance of Fa`aroa Bay, a deep slash on the east coast of Ra`iatea, an hour`s drive from Uturoa the island capital. A wall of basalt slabs runs along the seaward side of the site which encloses a marae platform which seems likely to have been a sacrificial altar. Here too is the standing stone of Havai’i fanau’ra fenua which means `the cradle` (of civilisation) in the Polynesian. Other ruins on the north-west coast further attest to pagan worship. Most tourists visiting Tahiti opt for the more famous Bora Bora, but people interested in local culture should include Rai`atea - `faraway heaven` - in their island-hopping itinerary.