Te Rāpaki-o-Te Rakiwhakaputa, commonly known as Rāpaki or Rapaki, is a small settlement within the

Lyttelton Harbour Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō is one of two major inlets in Banks Peninsula, on the coast of Canterbury, New Zealand; the other is Akaroa Harbour on the southern coast. It enters from the northern coast of the peninsula, heading in a pred ...

basin. Rāpaki is one of four

Banks Peninsula Banks Peninsula is a peninsula of volcanic origin on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It has an area of approximately and encompasses two large harbours and many smaller bays and coves. The South Island's largest cit ...

''rūnanga'' (communities) based around ''

marae A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...

'' (tribal meeting grounds). The Rāpaki Marae, also known as Te Wheke Marae, is a meeting ground of

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Poi ...

and its Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke branch. It includes a ''

wharenui A wharenui (; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a ''marae''. Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English, or simply called ''whare'' ( ...

'' (meeting house), called ''Te Wheke'' to be opened in 2008, was carved by Riki Manuel and

Fayne Robinson Charles Eldon Fayne Robinson (born 1964) is a New Zealand Māori artist specialising in carving. Robinson has contributed to the carving of buildings on many marae in New Zealand as well as exhibiting his art in galleries and museums. Biograph ...

and the ''

tukutuku Tukutuku panelling is a distinctive art form of the Māori people of New Zealand, a traditional latticework used to decorate meeting houses (wharenui). Other names are tuitui and arapaki. Tukutuku flank the posts around the edge of the wharenui ...

'' panels were overseen by local weaver 'Aunty' Doe Parata. The carvings of the ''wharenui'' trace the almost 400 years of continuous settlement related to the arrival of the ancestor Te Rakiwhakaputa. Te_Wheke_602

Rāpaki is overlooked by the peak Te Poho o Tamatea. According to one legend, the

chief Te Rakiwhakaputa named the place by laying his waist mat (''rāpaki'') down to claim it. The full name of Rāpaki is Te Rāpaki-o-Te Rakiwhakaputa, meaning the waist mat of Te Rakiwhakaputa.Rapaki marae introduction
/ref> On 8 July 2020, the New Zealand Geographic Board assigned the full name as the official name of the locality.

References

Populated places in Canterbury, New Zealand {{CanterburyNZ-geo-stub