Easter Island - Rapa Nui

Trip dates: April 15 - April 20, 2011

Day 1

We land on Easter Island (or, as the locals call it, Rapa Nui). With all the traveling I have done, there are still those special places where I have to remind myself "I am really here". So, I have a "must-pinch-myself" moment when landing on the island, geographically the most isolated island in the world. I am not really sure what to expect. I have done my research, of course. But all the travel books and descriptions focus mostly on the moai, the famous statues. So I don't know much about anything else. How are the people?  How is the landscape? How is the food?

Landing on Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

The airport is a small one, and with one flight a day it alternates between periods of frenetic activity and almost complete stillness.

We are picked up by hotel staff, our luggage is loaded onto a pickup truck, we are loaded into a 4x4, and off we go.

Hanga Roa is the only town, or rather village, on the island.  Almost all of the island's population, about 5,000 people, live in the town. Perhaps this is a leftover from the times when Chile leased the entire island to a British sheep company, which restricted the locals from venturing outside the town?

The entire island is only 22 km (14 mi) long, and basically all hotels, restaurants and stores are in Hanga Roa. Our hotel is here as well, on the outskirts of the town. On the way there we pass a couple of moai, which is exciting.

Our hotel is a collection of bungalows. It's in the higher price category, so the rooms are clean and comfortable. Very basic though. On Easter Island one gets less for the money, that is true for accommodation and also for food.  I am impressed by the solar panels on each bungalow, and the choice of both an indoor and outdoor shower is very nice.

Our seven year old daughter absolutely loves the landscaping. There is plenty of space to run around, and the lava rocks and plants make for good hiding places.

Our bungalow on the outskirts of Hanga Roa, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

It is a nice surprise that we have a view (a distant one, but still) of a moai from the hotel restaurant.

After lunch we rent a 4x4, there are too many gravel roads to bother with anything else.

We start our sightseeing at the Museo Antropologico Sebastian Englert, a small, one-room museum full of local history. There are no English signs and it is a bit cumbersome to try to find things in the English language booklet, but it doesn't matter. We are mostly here to see two things: one of the few female moai on the island, and the coral eye. This eye was found in the 1970's, and seems to be the only proof that moai were originally more attractive than the current empty-eye-socket versions.

The coral eye, Museo Antropologico Sebastian Englert,  Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Female moai at Museo Antropologico Sebastian Englert,  Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

This is also where we can see samples of the rongo-rongo, the only written language developed in all of Polynesia. Rapa Nui's history doesn't seem terribly cheerful, from almost complete deforestation of the island (hence the beautiful rolling hills with nothing but grass on them) to disease. The population has been almost completely decimated  more than once. So, by the 19th century everyone who could read the rongo-rongo died, and to this day no one has been able to decipher it.

Our next stop is Tahai, an ancient ceremonial center. It has three ahus (the mounds on which the moai were built). Here stands the only moai on the island with it's eyes restored. To be honest, I think it looks a bit spooky.

"I am keeping my eyes on you...", moai with restored eyes, Tahai, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

We drive on to the center of Hanga Roa, passing the colorful cemetery and Caleta Hanga Roa, a small fishing pier with colorful fishing boats.

Caleta Hanga Roa, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

In the village we visit the church Iglesia Hanga Roa. It's different. The outside is a bit Gaudi-esqe, I think. The holy water holder is made of a giant shell, yes, Gaudi would definitely approve.

Iglesia Hanga Roa, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

The holy water holder, Iglesia Hanga Roa, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Then a short visit to the Mercado Artesanal next door, where we will later buy our souvenirs.  Our Spanish knowledge is terrible, and most people on the island don't speak good (if any) English, but one of the old ladies on this market switches between Spanish, English and French so readily that I almost feel obliged to buy something from her.

On the way back to the hotel we stop to watch the surfers by Caleta Hanga Roa, then have dinner on the hotel terrace. The dinner is "nothing to write home about", but the sunset is beautiful and we get to watch a bunch of semi-wild horses invade the neighboring mangrove orchard.

We think seeing so many horses is something special, and our daughter, who absolutely loves them, is of course delighted. It doesn't take much time to realize that one couldn't avoid them on Rapa Nui, even if one tried. They are EVERYWHERE! They are branded but otherwise behave like wild horses, grazing EVERYWHERE. We think that they must be a very important part of the local economy, perhaps their biggest export commodity? Their numbers would certainly support that theory. We make the mistake of asking one of the receptionists at the hotel, a young woman born and raised here. What we get is a passionate speech, which I will paraphrase here: "They are pests. Completely useless. People just keep them as a status symbol. They have a lot of them and don't take care of them, so in summer, when there isn't enough grass, there is a smell of horse corpses everywhere. And they destroy the statues!" Oh well, that takes away a little bit from the magic. Luckily we are here in April, the pastures are all green, the horses are well-fed, with a healthy shine. And we love them anyway, even though their presence means the presence of lots and lots of flies.

Day 2:

On our first full day here we set off on what is promising to be the most interesting tour of our trip, the "Southeastern Circuit". Almost all moai on the island are standing on the shore, facing inland (unlike in the new animated movie HOP, where they are all staring out to the water - incorrect!). Very conveniently, a large number of the moai are along the Southern shore. Thus, if one has only one day on Rapa Nui, this is the drive to make.

We have a plan of course of where to stop, but are almost immediately seduced by a picturesque spot, with no statues, only lava rocks, breaking waves and hordes of horses. Rapa Nui is no tropical paradise, with it's rolling hills and rocky coastline it reminds me mostly of Ireland. And just like in Ireland, one has an urge to constantly stop and take pictures.

Horses, southern shore, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Cows, southern shore, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Southern shore, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

After passing a couple of sites with mostly fallen and broken moai, we arrive to the number one attraction on the island. Rano Raraku is the quarry where the the moai were carved (except for their topknots - pukao, which were made elsewhere).

Moai at Rano Raraku, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

There are a lot of mysteries surrounding the moai. How were they moved from the quarry, how were they erected, how were the heavy topknots placed on top of them? For me the biggest mystery is: Why did the people of Rapa Nui even bother? And then, why did they stop making them so suddenly? Normally we expect traditions to fade over time. The moai, it seems, went out of fashion from one minute to the next.

Local legend has it, the moai, once finished, came alive, stood up and walked downhill from the quarry to the shore. Then something happened (perhaps and evil witch casting a spell?) and they never walked again. Seeing Rano Raraku one can definitely see the logic in this story. There are some 400 moai here, in different stages of carving and transport, some already on their way down the hill. It's bizarre. Whatever happened here must have happened very suddenly. As if someone waved a magic wand and things came to a standstill in a second.

Walking down the hill, moai at Rano Raraku, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Almost there, almost there..., moai at Rano Raraku, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Ooops, a fallen moai at Rano Raraku, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

It's a lot of effort. No wonder we look so grumpy, moai at Rano Raraku, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Wandering around the quarry is wonderful. We are lucky, there are barely any tourists here, and by the time a tour group arrives we are ready to leave.

In addition to the quarry itself, there is also a crater to see. We are tired from the heat and are very seriously considering skipping the crater, but curiosity wins. I am so glad! It is one of the most picturesque places I have ever been to. As if the reddish sand, green grass and blue lake weren't enough, there are also large groups of horses galloping around on the hillsides. And yes, there are a couple of moai as well. We don't want to leave.

Horses grazing by the lake, Rano Raraku, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

It's hard to imagine for anything to top the experience of the quarry, but the next site, Ahu Tongariki almost manages to do that. It is almost literally a stone throw away from the quarry, and has 15 moai stading next to each other on what is the longest ahu ever made. It's breathtaking and the grazing horses around it  make it even more magical. Again, most of the time we are alone, and I am starting to realize how lucky we are that we are not seeing these sights as part of a tour group. How often in our lives do we see world-famous sights without the constant pushing and shoving of large hordes of tourists. It all feels so spiritual when we have the place for ourselves.

Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

We drive up toward the North, to Ahu Te Pito Kura, where, according to the guidebook, is the largest moai ever successfully erected. The guidebook fails to mention that the success didn't last, so the moai  is now in pieces on the ground.

Fallen moai at Ahu Te Pito Kura, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

There is also a perfectly round stone here, representing the navel of the world, which, according to legend was brought here by the first inhabitants of the island some 1,500 years ago. We feel a bit silly standing there staring at a rock (no matter how round), so we drive on.

The navel of the world, Ahu Te Pito Kura, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

We try to find a small, picturesque beach called Playa Ovahe, but get confused on the intersecting dirt roads and miss it. We do find the bigger beach, Playa Anakena, and fall in love with it. There is the beautiful sand and water, surrounded by grass and swaying palm trees (and yes, of course horses). But what makes it even more magical are the moai. In addition to being a beautiful beach, this is also an important archaeological site. The island's earliest settlers are believed to have landed here. These moai are some of the best preserved on the island, this is where they found the coral eye, and this is where Thor Heyerdahl performed his experiments trying to replicate how the statues were erected.  We are not dressed for the beach today, so we decide we must come back another day.

Playa Anakena , Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

The moai at Playa Anakena, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

We drive back to Hanga Roa, watch a bit of the football match in the middle of the town.  I wonder who they are playing, would this small place have two teams, or a team flew in from somewhere?

Even the dog is interested in the match, Hanga Roa,  Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Once back in the hotel, we discover that we have been invaded by...what else..horses. The hotel staff are furious. My daughter is of course delighted.

Horse in the hotel, Hanga Roa,  Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

We return to Tahai, as I read in the guidebook that it is the best place to enjoy the sunset. What follows exceeds our wildest expectations. A sunset so magical and colorful that the word breathtaking doesn't even begin to describe it.

Sunset at Tahai, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Then, again at the recommendation of the book, we eat at Te Moana, on Hanga Roa's main street. With all the places we have traveled to,  Rapa Nui is one of the worst when it comes to eating out. There are plenty of restaurants, all expensive, but very few with good food. We learn a valuable lesson: on this island the only restaurants worth trying are the ones recommended by someone. Walking into a restaurant just because you think it looks appealing is not going to end well (gastronomically speaking). Te Moana was recommended, and with reason. The food is good and we return there a couple of times during our stay.

As we step out on the sidewalk we are almost run over by a horse. The rider must be late for dinner. Well, at least some of the horses are used for something useful.

Day 3

Today we are doing the "Western Circuit".

We drive up to Orongo, a ceremonial village on the rim of the Rano Kau crater. This village, consisting of 48 oval stone houses, was used by locals during their annual birdman ceremony. I am not sure how the change-over from erecting moai to this bird cult occurred. But between the late 17th and 19th centuries, an annual competition of "who will find the bird egg on the neighboring little island and bring it back swimming first" determined who held the post of the birdman (tangata manu) for the next year. One could look at this as bravery and skill (can't be easy swimming in the ocean with an egg in one's headdress) being rewarded by the person becoming the birdman. That is until we find out that the actual swimming and egg-hunting was delegated to the potential birdman's servants. Hm, suddenly I am not that impressed.

The view of Rano Kau, on the way to Orongo, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Who would want to swim back from there, with an egg on their head, view from Orongo, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

The stone houses of Orongo, Orongo, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

The main attraction in Orongo are not the stone houses however, but the numerous petroglyphs on the boulders on the crater's rim.

Some of Orongo's petroglyphs, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

We drive down toward Hanga Roa, enjoying some beautiful views. We stop at a less-visited cavern called Ana Kai Tangata, which has the island's only cave paintings. The cave paintings are not much to look at (a couple of red and white birds), but the scenery is dramatic, so it was worth the stop.

Stairs leading to Ana Kai Tangata, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Cave painting of a bird, Ana Kai Tangata, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

We have lunch in a restaurant we thought looked cute when we first arrived to the island, and can't wait to try it.  Nobody recommended it, and the food pretty much reflects that. Oh well.

After lunch we drive to Ahu Vinapu. This is not one of the must-see sights, and its only claim to fame seems to be that the masonry on it's rear wall resembles the walls at Machu Picchu. Aside from some cows, we have the place for ourselves.

The back wall of Ahu Vinapu, with one of the toppled moai, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

From now on it's mostly dirt road driving. We visit Puna Pau, the quarry where they made the reddish topknots for the moai. Just like with the moai, it seems that work on these stopped in an instant, and there are many of them scattered around the quarry. The view from the top is beautiful.

Puna Pau, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

View from Puna Pau, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

More dirt roads, crossing some farms. We can't tell at all whether we are on public or private land, and are not sure at all if we are lost. But we do arrive at Ahu Akivi, a site with seven moai, which are exceptionally staring out to the see. It's beautiful and peaceful, but we are starting to reach our inner moai-limit, so we don't linger for long.

Ahu Akivi, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Next stop is different, no statues! It's Ana Te Pahu, a cave with a banana grove at it's mouth (apparently the climate in the cave is better for the plants than the outside climate). It's not terribly interesting, but bizarrely enough this is where we run into most tourists this afternoon. By most I mean about 5.

Ana Te Pahu, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

A beautiful drive back to Hanga Roa on the West coast. It's all dirt road, barely any moai (and we bypass even those couple that are there, because we just can' t take any more of them today), but plenty of horses, cows and birds. It's a bumpy ride and it's absolutely beautiful.

Cow, west coast of Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

A bird ( in the middle),  west coast of Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

And, of course, some horses, west coast of Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

As if that wasn't enough for one day, we head back to Tahai for another sunset. It's beautiful, but not as special as the previous one. On the other hand, we can watch some locals with their special canoes paddling out to the water. I would not go out on those waves if my life depended on it!

Yet another Tahai sunset (container boat on the water), Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Man with canoe at Tahai, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

We are still not finished. Off to dinner to one of the most highly recommended restaurants on the island, the Au Bout du Monde. It's not only for dinner though, but also for a local dance show. The food is very good. The service not really. The show is not the most exciting (OK, a little boring actually), but our 7 year old daughter loves it, so it was worth it. And before the show we all get our faces painted, what makes for a good photo opportunity.

One of the male dancers in the show, Au Bout du Monde, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Day 4:

Our last day here. Laid back and relaxing. We watch the sunrise from our hotel terrace. Then we drive into Hanga Roa, where our daughter has been eyeing a big, wooden playground since we arrived.

Hanga Roa playground, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Then it's off to the beach! We are heading back to the beautiful Playa Anakena, which is on the other side of the island. So, on the way, we decide to look for two sights we couldn't find the days before. The first is Ahu Huri a Urenga, one of the few moai erected inland. It's only claim to fame is that it has two sets of hands.

Ahu Huri a Urenga, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

The other one is the small but picturesque Ovahe beach. It's gorgeous.

Ovahe, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Then it's pure relaxation on the beach of Playa Anakena, until the rain forces us to leave. We drive back on the Eastern shore, passing the same famous sights as before. On the Southern shore the waves are amazing today.

Big waves on the southern shore, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

We have been intrigued by the fact that we haven't seen a port. We set out to look for it, and we find a small port tucked away not far from the town. No wonder everything is so expensive. Container boats stay out on the open ocean and small boats ferry in the cargo to the tiny port, container by container.

In the hotel the manager comes up to us, to discuss our departure the next day. We assume she wants to discuss the airport transfer. Actually, she is announcing to us that our flight has been cancelled. Apparently this is not uncommon. There is only one flight per day, and, if there are not enough people on it, they simply cancel it. Oh well. Bonus day.

Day 5 (bonus day):

We start the morning negotiating with the airline. They propose to pay for the hotel and food for the extra day, if we agree to move to another hotel. We don't agree. They pay the hotel only, not the food. OK with us. It's off to the LAN office in town, to get our new seat assignments.

And now the fun can begin again. What haven't we seen yet on the island? We look at the map and realize that there is a stretch of dirt road we haven't driven yet. Off we go. Then we remember a spot where we didn't take a picture and later regretted it. Let's go back! Then down the Eastern shore again, back to the same beautiful places. At Ahu Tongariki, a bird provides a wonderful new photo opportunity. And of course horses, horses and more horses.

Bird and moai, Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Horses, horses, horses..., Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

For dinner we decide to be adventurous. There is a restaurant which has been intriguing us for a while, for no other reason than it's pretty Christmas light decorations. There are a lot of people eating there tonight, so how bad can it be? One of the local dogs settles down next to our table, which is quite a common thing on the island. I am not sure if they are stray dogs, but they seem well fed, clean and not aggressive at all, so the fact that they are everywhere is not a big problem. As far as the restaurant goes: Two hours later our bowl of soup and microwave-thawed pizza finally arrive. Oh well, I guess we will never learn.

Day 6: We fly to Santiago de Chile.

Our plane and, what else, a moai, Easter Island (Rapa Nui)