MARAE | I går morges besøgte vi Taputapuatea Marae, som er et af de største religiøse centre i Polynesien. Vi var heldige at have stedet helt for os selv.Det stod allerede på vores liste sidst vi besøgte Raiatea, men dengang afholdt kraftig vind os fra at besøge stedet.Området menes at datere helt tilbage til omkring år 1000 og fungerede som et samlingspunkt og lærested hvor polynesere fra hele stillehavsregionen mødtes for at dele erfaringer og ofre til guderne. Hellige sten fra denne Marae har dannet grundlaget for andre Maraes på både Cookøerne, Hawaii & New Zealand for spirituelt at forbinde alle hjørner af regionen. På grund af sin religiøse vigtighed blev sitet optaget på Unescos verdensarv liste i 2017, men det står ikke som det gjorde i sin storhedstid, en del af anlægget blev angiveligt raseret af krigere fra Bora Bora i midten af 1700 tallet og med missionærernes komme i starten af 1800 tallet blev det formentlig forladt. I 1994 blev det restaureret.nn| ENG |nYesterday morning we visited Taputapuatea Marae, which is one of the largest religious centers in Polynesia. We were lucky to have the place all to ourselves. It was already on our list the last time we visited Raiatea, but then strong winds prevented us from visiting the place. The area is believed to date back to around the year 1000 and served as a gathering point and learning center where Polynesians from all over the Pacific region met to share experiences and sacrifice to the gods. Sacred stones from this Marae have formed the basis for other Maraes in both the Cook Islands, Hawaii & New Zealand to spiritually connect all corners of the region. Due to its religious importance, the site was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017. But it does not stand as it did in it´s glory, part of the complex was allegedly razed by warriors from Bora Bora in the mid-1700s and with the arrival of missionaries in the early 1800s it was probably abandoned. In 1994 it was restored to the state it is in today..