Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
seemingly similar in construction to
those built by the Inca in Cusco, Peru,
leading some archeologists to believe
that Easter Island culture has Latin
American roots. Continuing east along
this coast you reach Ahu Vaihu , with its
eight toppled moai and their scattered
pukao (stone topknots). Up the road,
the large Ahu Akahanga is widely
believed to be the burial place of Hotu
Matu'a, the first king of the island. The
site features a dozen moai , lying face
down, with petroglyphs carved into one
of the platforms. There are also the
remains of a village, consisting of hare
paenga outlines, as well as a number
of pukao .
Another 3km east, the almost utterly
ruined Ahu Hanga Tetenga consists
of two toppled and shattered moai .
Beyond, the road forks, the northern
branch looping inland toward Rano
Raraku, while the east-bound branch
continues to Ahu Tongariki , one of the
island's most enduring and awe-inspiring
images. Consisting of fifteen moai , one
significantly taller than the rest and
another sporting a topknot, the island's
largest moai site was destroyed by
a tsunami in 1960, and re-erected by
the Japanese company Tadano between
1992 and 1995.
THE CULT OF THE BIRDMAN
The Birdman cult venerating the creator
Make-Make flourished in the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries, up until the
1860s. An important element of the
religion was a brutal and dangerous
competition staged each year between
July and September to pick the Tangata
Manu, or Birdman . Only military chiefs
were allowed to compete; they would
send their representatives, or hopu , on
a swim through shark-infested waters to
the motu (islets) off the coast. The hopu
would often attempt to stab their rivals
on the way. Once on the motu the
competitors would wait for days to
retrieve the first Manutara (sooty tern)
egg of the season; the winner would
then communicate his victory to those
waiting in Orongo. The chosen Birdman
then spent the year in complete
seclusion, either in one of the houses
in the Orongo village or in Anakena,
attended to only by a priest, while his
family enjoyed an elevated social status
and special privileges.
4
round-headed Moai Tukuturi , the only
one of its kind, discovered by Thor
Heyerdahl's expedition in 1955.
To the west, the trail winds its way up
between wild guava trees into the crater
itself, with a dirt path running through
knee-high shrubbery alongside the large
reed-strewn lake. You may take the
footpath up to the crater's eastern rim
for unparalleled views of the bay and
Ahu Tongariki in the distance, but only
if accompanied by a ranger or a guide.
There has been increased concern
regarding visitor behaviour ever since
a Finnish tourist was caught in 2008
while trying to break an ear off a moai to
take home as a souvenir.
Rano Raraku
Just inland of Ahu Tongariki lies the
unforgettable spectacle of Rano Raraku
- the gigantic quarry where all of Easter
Island's moai were chiselled out of the
tuff (compressed volcanic ash) that
makes up the sides of the crater. From
the Conaf ranger station, a dirt path
leads up to the volcano's slopes, littered
with dozens of completed moai ,
abandoned on the way to their ahus . he
right branch meanders between the
giant statues, buried in the ground up to
their necks, their heads mournfully
looking out to sea. You pass moai in
various stages of completion, including
the largest one ever carved, El Gigante ,
21m tall and 4m wide, its back still
joined to the stone from which it was
carved. The east end of the path
culminates in the kneeling,
Ovahe Beach
This small, sheltered beach is located off
a dirt road just before Anakena Beach,
on the other side of the Maunga Puha
hillock. Backed by tall cliffs, its pristine
sands are very popular with locals who
come here to picnic, swim and snorkel.
It's best earlier in the day, before the cliff
blocks the afternoon sun.
 
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