November 26, 2024
I started the day with a quiet walk around the island chasing the sunrise that never really developed but it was fun walking along the quiet dirt roads of the area.
Today we are doing a full-day tour of the island I can’t wait to see more Moai while learning about how and why they were created!!
Our first stop for the day was at Ahu Akahanga. At this location they have recreated the Boat house or hare paenga which is name of the ancient house at Easter Island that are shaped like a boat. To enter or exit the home the inhabitants had to crawl on their stomach. The shape was to ensure that it withstood the winds. The chicken house really intrigued me as the fully enclosed building only had two small holes that the chicken could go in an out of and then entrance was blocked at night with a stone. Not sure how they managed when one died inside and for sure there was no collection of eggs…hmmmm!
Next we headed to the quarry where the moai were carved. Nearly 900 of these monolithic statues have been found on the island, and it is estimated that each one took five or six men one year to carve with hand-held tools. The Moai were carved on their backs the carvers would cut through the backs to release them while using ropes to stand them upright. Many were lost while trying to stand them up normally breaking at the neck then rolling downhill. The fields are littered with remains of broken Moai from both the standing up process and trying to relocate them!! Lots of unsuccessful Moai’s!!
We followed the footsteps of an ancient civilization to various ahus—sacred sites where several moai stand. At Ahu Vaihu, we viewed the moai in an unrestored state, before we continued to Ahu Tongariki’s collection of 15 restored moai carved from the quarries of nearby Rano Raraku Volcano. These 15 are the ones that to see in every ad for Easter Island!!
Te Pito Next we went to Anakena Beach, where the first Polynesian settlers are believed to have landed and where we discovered six more Moai.
We took a break from our search for Moai for a picnic lunch on the only sandy beach on the island. After lunch we walked the beach dipping our feet into the very cold South Pacific
Late afternoon we headed back to the hotel and had a bit of free time so we headed out on a walk into town to explore.
Dinner and a sunset ended the spectacular day with the Moai!!
