Discover Amaru

Cultural highlights in Amaru

Amaru brings together several cultural themes: Marae Tonoha'e with its surviving foundations, craft activities in the village, and a royal cemetery by the sea. They appeal to different interests—archaeological remains, practical crafts, or Rimatara’s history. If culture is one of your criteria when choosing a place to stay, these highlights can help you assess Amaru more specifically. The themes differ not only in their content, but also in whether the focus is on a place, an activity, or a burial site. This gives you a clear basis for comparing the village’s cultural side with your own travel interests.

Marae Tonoha'e

Marae Tonoha'e is on a hill behind the beach of the present-day village of Amaru. What remains are broken foundations made of old coral slabs. Its position on the hill behind the beach places the marae in the surroundings of the present-day village; the old coral slabs define the surviving foundations. This puts a specific place and archaeological remains in the foreground. Those interested in traces like these will find a different perspective here than in craft activities or a historic burial site.

Crafts in the village

In Amaru, you can experience the weaving of baskets, peue mats, and hats; the processing of fara, or pandanus; and the making of pupu, or shell, necklaces. The examples can be distinguished by activity and result: weaving sits alongside material processing and necklace making. The activities thus range from working with materials to making finished objects. If you are interested in crafts, you can consider more specifically whether weaving, material processing, or necklace making appeals to you most. This focus differs from the marae, where the surviving foundations and their location are in the foreground. It points to different kinds of practical work, not a single technique.

The cemetery by the sea

The cemetery by the sea in Amaru is one of the sights on Rimatara. Amaru’s royal cemetery by the sea is the resting place of several generations of Rimatara’s kings and queens. This connection between place and royal history sets the cemetery apart from the other cultural themes. For travelers interested in Rimatara’s history, the generations buried there are the defining point of reference. While the marae focuses on structural remains and crafts on practical activities, the cemetery draws attention to the royal families.

Three cultural highlights

When choosing a place to stay, you can compare these themes according to your interests. For the marae, the key features are its location on the hill behind the beach and its surviving foundations; the activities are about crafts in the village; and the cemetery connects the place with several generations of kings and queens. This makes it possible to weigh up whether archaeological remains, craftwork, or royal history offers the strongest point of interest for you. This distinction can help you assess Amaru through specific cultural themes.

Discover more destinations: Vaiuru, Rairua.

Go to the main travel overview: Austral Islands.