RAPA NUI, DAY 10
Our first full day on the island was a day of exploration with our own guide. Chris is an American from Virginia (ex-hippie he called himself) who came here eighteen years ago and really never left. He met his Rapa Nui fiancée on his first trip here, and together they have two teenage daughters. 
Chris was an amazing guide with an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of the Rapa Nui, their legends, and the assorted scientists and archaeologists who came here cataloged the Moai and were instrumental in bringing about their preservation. He could and did talk about everyone from Captain Cook to William Balfour to Katharine Routledge (early 20th century) and William Malloy. He also shared several of the theories of how the natives moved these tens of ton statues from the quarry to their present locations, including his own personal theory.
Many were made in the 1500’s and many were destroyed over the years and were not really protected until fairly recently. The Island initially had few tall trees and still has only pockets of trees; African coral flower bushes (bright orange), guava trees, and eucalyptus trees are found here and there. The large expanses of open land are largely owned by the government, but some of it (about 15%) is personally owned and used for raising horses and cattle. The population is centered in Hanga Roa and part of the island is not navigable except on horseback or bicycle.
We began the day at Anakena Beach since Chris indicated it would later be crowded with swimmers and picnickers. Our first moai of the day, moai being the name for these stone statues of kings and leaders who in death became deified, were five figures. Earlier lore stated that the moai always faced the ocean, but in fact, except for one exception we saw, they are near the coast, but face inland. Moai are on stone platforms called ahu and the ground in front, often lined with small stones, is sacred and not to be walked upon. Today there are simple signs with crossed out arrows and sometimes a line of wire that indicates you are not to trespass.
The moai were mostly made from tuff, a soft volcanic rock, from an inland quarry and then transported long distances, up to 7 miles, considering that they weighed many tons. There are many theories, but no definitive answer on how the torso and the head were moved. Made from the 1300s to the 1700s with many from the 1500s, they suffered the ill effects of weather and also defacement and destruction by humans. Today about 1,000 remain; some have been restored and repaired while others exist in a weathered, eroded, or unfinished state. Some moai also have topknots or red stone cylinders (scoria) above the head. The experts don’t agree; some say they represent hair, others that they are hats. The deep almost mahogany color of the pukao or topknot is striking sitting against the dark gray stone of the head and body.
We also visited Tongariki, a line of fifteen moai on a very long ahu. What was striking, in addition to just their mass and looming presence, was that each one was distinctive and different from the one next to it. Different heights and different facial features. They do share similarities, however, such as the head being out of proportion with the torso, having elongated ears, deep eye sockets, and hands placed in front on the lower part of the torso.
The quarry where the Rapa Nui carved the moai is inland with a crater at the top. It was a steep climb and extremely windy so we got lots of steps and plenty of exercise for the knees!
Lunch was ordered from a restaurant in Hanga Roa and then delivered to some picnic tables at our last stop. We had had a choice of beef, chicken or vegetarian in a mushroom sauce served with rice pilaf and mixed vegetables plus an apple or an orange. We opted for the chicken and it was quite tasty, although we almost got blown away while eating.
Having been out and about all day and gotten plenty of exercise, we opted to eat dinner at our hotel. The dining room is large and pleasant with glass doors on all sides and is often invaded by the chickens that lurk outside. The menu is limited, but the little shrimps I had in a spicy sauce were very good and the fresh salmon with vegetables equally delicious. As it turned out, we ended up eating here all three nights!
Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).
Jean, These comments of Easter Island are fascinating. Thanks for doing this. Don’t know (no, I doubt) that I’ll ever get there but have always wanted to go. When we were in Santiago, I toyed with the idea but the long flight there deterred us. Your comments make me almost feel like I’m there. Chris