<< Our Photo Pages >> Arai Te Tonga - Ancient Temple in Pacific Islands
Submitted by PAB on Saturday, 22 August 2015 Page Views: 4693
Multi-periodSite Name: Arai Te Tonga Alternative Name: Araite TongaCountry: Pacific Islands
NOTE: This site is 2349.752 km away from the location you searched for.
Type: Ancient Temple
Latitude: 21.2131S Longitude: 159.7457W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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On the coast of Rarotonga (Cook Islands), there is a site which operated as both a meeting place and sanctuary, with parts of its stone surround and pillar still in situ.
This is one of several such locations established by the families who took over the island from its original inhabitants - before moving on to the land of the long white cloud...aka New Zealand.
According to the legends on Rarotonga, it was the people from here who set off for Aotea - the original Maori who established the pahs and other sites which Drew Parsons has posted in New Zealand.
As with the New Zealand sites, dates are less important than stages of development, so the fact that this location has been dated to 1250 AD doesn't preclude it from submission to the Portal.
As described on the information panel...:
Araite Tonga
These stone structures were Koutu Chiefly Courts where the political function of the Investiture of an Ariki (Chief) took place. The Kouto could properly be called the Royal Court of a reigning Ariki or High Chief.
It was a special place where all offerings to the ancient gods were first assembled prior to being conveyed to, and placed upon, the Marae (meeting place) where all tribal annual feasts and the presentation of 'First fruits’ were held. The outstanding surviving feature or Arai-Te-Tonga is a rectangular platform approximately 12 feet long, 7 feet and 8 inches high offset from the central….
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