 In the oral traditions of the Cook Islands, Ruatapu travels around central Polynesia; from the Society Islands, to the Cook Islands, and lastly to Tonga before coming back to the Cook Islands to live out the rest of his days and eventually die at Aitutaki.Most traditions record him as a prominent ancestor, gaining three wives between the last two groups of islands.The stories relating to Ruatapu's life are fairly consistent with each other.