Easter Island - Mystery of the Moai

Someone in our group must have made a very substantial sacrifice to the Sun god when we landed on Easter Island as our beautiful weather is still holding. The high in the afternoon was probably low 70's and very pleasant.

Our guide on Easter Island is a delightful young man who was born and raised in Rapa Nui (the local name for Easter Island). Ata's parents were archeologists in Chile and came to Rapa Nui on a temporary assignment and never left! Not only is Ata very knowledgeable about the island but he is also a very cute young man!

Our first stop was at Ana Kai Tangata (Ana means cave) which is a lava  tube connecting the crater we saw yesterday. 

After a steep climb down to the coastal cavern, we had a breathtaking view of waves breaking at the entrance.  Featured inside the cavern were rock art paintings.  Legend has it that cannibalism may have been practiced here, but there is no actual proof.

Climbing down the side of the cliff on some very steep steps, we entered a cave and were rewarded with this incredible view as the waves crashed a short distance in front of the entrance. This was actually part of a lava tube created when one of the island's volcanoes erupted many years earlier.

From here Ata took us back to Rano Kau, the water-filled crater we had viewed yesterday from a different side

The panorama view from the top is probably the island's most striking natural sight

As we hiked back down the side we passed Orongo, a ceremonial village which had been a complex of 53 houses linked to the island's Birdman sect. This sect had replaced the original culture of ancestor worship.

Conflict between various clans on the island began the decline of the irriginal cultures. One faction would topple the other's moai during the fighting and the other would retaliate.. They finally disappeared with the slave raids in the 1860's and the arrival of Christian missionaries.

By now pangs of hunger were descending upon the group and we drove back to our hotel for another delicious lunch and Chilean Savignon Blanc wine.  True to South American traditions lunch is not a 'fast food' affair.  Several hours later we hit the road again. 

One quick photo, however, before we departed for our afternoon adventures.

Note the solar and wind-powered lights in this photo. These line the perimeter of the resort.

Back to our exploration of the moai on Easter Island. 

The structures initially had 'top knots' representing the way the male inhabitants tied their hair on top of their heads  This red stone came from the Puna Pao quarry.  The front of the structures were carved at the quarry leaving only a 'keel' to attach to the quarry. 

Slowly the moai were raised to a standing position using rock ramps and were then moved as far as 22 km by rolling them on eucalyptis logs.

With our knowledge of the moai increasing, we headed for our next 'wow' siting.

Arriving at the Ahu Akivi site we saw 7 standing moai which were one of the few inland ahu(stone platforms) facing the sea.  Most face inland 

These had been restored to their standing positions in 1960.  Virtually any standing moai have been restored as time, conflict and, especially, tsunami have knocked them down.

Our last item on today's agenda was another lava tube created from the Rano Kau crater we had seen yesterday and again this morning.  Climbing through the tube was optional and halfway through I was beginning to think I had made a mistake.  Climbing through a pitch dark cavern with low ceilings and rocky flooring with only the light of 1 cell phone and a small flashlight was not my idea of a leisurely walk but we only survived ( I only banged my head once on a sharp rock!)  For all my complaining, it was a fun adventure.

At this point we were all tired and ready to head back to the resort for Happy Hour,  looking out on the ocean as the sun set and sipping Pisco Sours!

Another boring? day in Paradise!
Linda