Easter Island

20^th August 2015

Easter Island, Chile

The monoliths of Easter Island have fascinated and puzzled Westerners since the

Dutch seaman Roggeven made landfall there on Easter Sunday, 1722.

The mystery of Easter Island's first settlers remains just that - a mystery.

Today, most anthropologists believe the island was settled as part of the great wave of Polynesian emigration. (The oldest of the Moai, as the great monoliths are called, date to 700 A.D.)

The society that produced the Moai flourished during the 16th and 17th centuries, but population growth, deforestation and food shortages led to its collapse.

Today some 3,400 souls inhabit this 64-square-mile island, (actually the population is just over 6,000 inhabitants) which lies some 2,200 miles equidistant from Tahiti and South America.

The society of Rapa Nui possessed stone-working skills on a par with those found in the Inca Empire. Islanders also possessed a script called Rongorongo, the only written language in all of Oceania. – ‘Travel Brochure’.

Sunday 16^th August

Following a four day rough south westerly passage from South America we finally dropped the pick in pretty good conditions at Easter Island where it took best part of 5hrs to ferry everybody ashore that wanted to go ashore. This was the result of some minor dignitary ashore deciding only one tender was allowed in the small boat harbor at any one time.

Everybody was very patient as we all considered ourselves lucky to get ashore anyway. It would seem that only 1 in 4 cruise boats actually get their passengers ashore due to weather and sea conditions.

The following is an extract from one of the ships tour brochures.

After leaving the pier, it's just a short journey to your first photo stop, Ahu Tahai, a small moai complex just north of the capital city of Hanga Roa. (There is only one town on Easter Island and it would not be classified as a city).

Believed to be constructed around 690 A.D., the five serene statues standing at Ahu Tahai are all very different from each other in scale and shape. Yet they each stand in a straight row perched atop ahu, or stone altars, all with their backs to the sea.

Here is where you'll find the renowned Ko Te Riku, the moai with the mesmerizing black and white eyes and topknot called a pukao on its head.

Like many of the statues you'll see as you explore the island, the moai of Ahu Tahai were knocked over during the tribal conflicts during the 18th century but restored in the 1960s by archaeologist William Mulloy, whose gravesite rests nearby.

Further along is the site known as Vaihu. Not only will you see a number of toppled moai but the ruins of a platform, as well.

Your next stop is the fascinating Rano Raraku crater, where most of the island's 900 moai were quarried.

Located in Rapa Nui National Park, Rano Raraku has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Once you step off the bus you'll find an otherworldly landscape filled with over 390 statues lying or half buried in the slopes of an extinct volcano.

400 to 600 years ago, craftsmen carved these immense monoliths from remnants of the volcanic rock. Centuries of erosion have nearly covered many of these stone giants but experts believe that their bodies extend 20 to 40 feet underground. On average, moai stand 13 feet high but

here you'll find the largest moai on the island: "El Gigante" measures over 71 feet high. Keep your camera handy for one of the more haunting moaithe "kneeling" statue. Located apart from the others, this is the only moai that doesn't stand upright.

Facing Rano Raraku is Ahu Tongariki, site of the largest ahu on the island. Set against the stark beauty of dramatic sea cliffs and sparkling ocean water sits 15 moai. A tidal wave in 1960 forced the moai - many weighing up to 80 tons - several hundred feet inland.

Today, they are standing on their platform again with their backs turned away from the ocean, these massive monoliths greet the sunset every year during the summer solstice.

Easter Island is a pretty island nice and green looking it reminded me very much of New Zealand with its rolling hills clean air and ever present fluffy clouds. Being of volcanic origin the soil is quite fertile and supports a good variety of vegetable and fruit growing. The island has a reasonable network of sealed roads mainly servicing the various geological sites and outer lying farms. Tourism sustains the island to the tune of 90% and Chile is the parent country although the locals are trying to get independence from Chile, needless to say Spanish is the primary language.

Easter Island is approximately 14 miles long by seven miles wide and it does not have a permanent source of fresh water. There is a well serviced airport with jets flying in from Chile every day. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Although the official currency is Chilean Pesos I haven’t come across a country yet that won’t accept US Dollars.