The most important pre-Christian sacred site on Atiu, on the south coast among the makatea. A rectangular court of upright basalt stones marks where chiefs were invested and important ceremonies were held. The marae has been partly cleared and is the easiest of the island's ancestral sites to find independently.
Several other marae are scattered around the island in various states of preservation — some require a local guide to locate in the bush. Marae Orongo is signposted; go in the morning before the heat builds up.