Marae Taputapuatea is a large marae complex at Opoa in Taputapuatea, on the south eastern coast of Raiatea. The site features a number of marae and other stone structures and was once considered the central temple and religious center of Eastern Polynesia. Such was the marae called Taputapuātea of the god Oro at Opoa, on the island of Raiatea. Here, according to tradition, were once held gatherings to which came visitors from other islands in the Society group, from Rarotonga, Rotuma, The Austal’s and even from Aotearoa / New Zealand. Raiatea is acknowledged as the ancestral homeland by the Polynesian communities in Central Polynesia, Hawaii, the Cook Islands, Rotuma and Aotearoa / New Zealand. In 2017, the Taputapuatea area and the marae complex were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List because of its political and religious significance and its testimony to traditional eastern Polynesian culture.

A marae, malaʻe, meʻae or malae is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term also means cleared and free of weeds or trees. Marae generally consist of an area of cleared land roughly rectangular, bordered with stones or wooden posts perhaps with paepae (terraces) which were traditionally used for ceremonial purposes; and in some cases, such as Easter Island, a central stone ahu or a'u is placed. In the Easter Island Rapa Nui culture, the term ahu or a'u has become a synonym for the whole marae complex.