Easter Island: Worth the Wait

When Magge and I realized that we could visit Easter Island (known as Rapa Nui in the native language) on our around-the-world-ticket at no extra cost, we knew we had to make the stop. 2,300 miles from Chile and 2,500 miles from Tahiti, it is one of the most, if not the most, remote inhabited places on earth, and we didn't know when we'd have another opportunity to see it. It was therefore heartbreaking when our flight was canceled after the earthquake and we thought we'd have to skip it. However, we were able to move the flights around, and even though it meant only being there for three days instead of six, we made it to the island. After all the waiting and uncertainty, it did not disappoint.

Easter Island has a fascinating history, from its colonization from thousands of miles away to the erection of the moai statues (the island's main claim to fame and probably the primary reason Rapa Nui National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site) to the collapse of its civilization. I could try to recount it here, but it would probably take too long and I'm trying to catch up from our two week hiatus. If you're interested, I recommend Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond. The book also covers the collapses of other civilizations, including the Anasazi and the Norse in Greenland, but the section on Easter Island is easily the most interesting.

We were originally supposed to be in Easter Island with Magge's mother and stepfather, and they had arranged for tours, so we had not done much planning. Not really knowing what to do our first we day, we walked forty-five minutes to the museum, only to find out it is closed on Mondays. It was not time wasted, though, as we got our first up close looks at some moai and ahu (ceremonial platforms on which the moai stand) at a few different sites along the beautiful coast.

 Moai on Easter Island's northwest coast

Following a park warden's advice, we hiked to Rano Kau, the island's largest volcanic crater and the site of the Orongo ceremonial village. On this hike, we had our first encounter with Easter Island's stray dogs. Mainland Chile, and Ecuador and Peru for that matter, has many stray dogs, but Easter Island took it to a different level with us. Normally, the dogs on the mainland left us alone, but here a bitch in heat would try to use us as shield from a pack of suitors as we walked, meaning that at least three, and sometimes more, dogs were around us at all times, trying to engage in acts that Magge is still too young to witness. They slowed us down somewhat, but we finally got to the mouth of the crater for possibly the best view on the whole island.

A rare PG13 moment around the dogs

Looking inside Rano Kau crater, which is one mile in diameter and contains a freshwater lake

The motus (little islands) of Iti and Nui from Orongo

Petroglyphs and Motu Iti and Motu Nui

Restored stone houses in Orongo

The following day, we hiked for a few hours along the coast to a cave that we had heard was spectacular. The scenery the whole way was great, but the cave was what I really wanted to see. Once we arrived, we saw that the cave opening was a small hole fifty meters from the ocean, connected by a narrow passage. We had forgotten our flashlight, but before we got there I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. However, I climbed through the opening and realized that it is pitch black once the first corner is turned. Disappointed, I had to climb back out. This is the second time cave exploration has been derailed by a lack of light (first time was a cavern in the Atacama desert).

If you thought Magge loved taking pictures of cows, you should see her around horses, which are plentiful on Easter Island (why? "The farmers like to have them because there's nothing else to do," said our tour guide)

 The rocky coast of Easter Island

I'm smiling because this is before the disappointment of the cave...

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... and this is during the disappointment of the cave

We were debating on whether or not to rent an ATV for our last day to get out to a few more sites, but decided that going on a tour was a better value and was less likely to cause us to miss our 10pm flight, as we have a history of getting off the trail when we are self-guided. The tour enabled us to take in many sites in a short time: unrestored moai that remain toppled from the civil war; Rano Raraku ,the quarry where the moai were carved and where hundreds remain; Tongariki, the largest restoration, with fifteen moai; and Anakena, one of only two sand beaches on the island.

Stranded pukao (the red topknot, or "hat") that rolled off a toppled moai

Unrestored moai, still face down after being pulled down during the civil wars

More horses!

Toppled moai, up close and personal
 

Tongariki, the largest restored moai site

 The moai at Tongariki looking at the quarry at Rano Raraku

T

The moai at Anakena Beach

Swimming at Anakena Beach; notice the moai at the top left and top right

All the sites were memorable, but Rano Raraku was the most mesmerizing. The quarry sits in and around a volcanic crater, and the moai rest in all different stages of completion. Some are still partially embedded in the rock, face up, while some are nearly finished and were on their way to being erected on an ahu, several miles away. This place felt just as otherworldy as the Valle de la Luna and El Tatio geysers, although for different reasons.

 Moai littering the hillside at Rano Raraku

Half-finished moai

The largest moai ever attempted - approximately twenty-one meters and would have weighed an estimated 185 metric tonnes (over 400,000 lbs); considering the largest moai ever erected was only eighty-six tonnes, this one seems a little too ambitious

From the inside of Rano Raraku; those black dots on the far side are unfinished moai