Te Paepae o Aotea, also known the Volkner Rocks (named after Carl Sylvius Völkner), are a group of andesitic rock stacks and pinnacles located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) northwest of Whakaari/White Island in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty.

[3][4] The area is popular with divers due to good visibility (35–40 m), spectacular scenery and colourful marine life.

[1] According to oral history, Te Paepae o Aotea was used as a landmark to show land was close.

[1] The rocks became culturally significant to Ngāti Awa and other iwi descending from the Mātaatua waka, as the departure place for the spirits of all their people.

Spirits linger here, leaving the physical world and reuniting with the souls of the departed.