Rāpaki (Te Wheke)

Rāpaki marae, also known as Te Wheke, is in Governors Bay, on Banks Peninsula. It belongs to Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke of Ngāi Tahu. The wharenui is named Wheke. It connects ancestrally to the waka Takitimu, the awa Omaru, the moana Whakaraupō and the maunga Te Poho o Tamatea.

The marae is named after the actions of the chief Te Rakiwhakaputa, who threw down his rāpaki (waist mat) on the shores of Whakaraupō to claim the land for Ngāi Tahu. The full name of the bay is Te Rāpaki o Te Rakiwhakaputa.