2014.3.21This was our last day at the Easter Island. We’ve already been to places that we had planed to go. You are supposed to be casual, trip plan as well, in this remote island. In the morning, we went to Ahu Tongariki again. Again, the sunrise wasn’t so perfect.

Ahu Tongariki at sunrise, Easter Island

Overlook Rano Raraku from Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island

Coming back from Ahu Tongariki, we went to Ahu Akivi again and took more pictures with the statues.

Ahu Akivi, Easter Island

Returned to our lodge, Nicole, our hostess, told us that our flight to Santiago was going to be delayed. Well, it gave us more time on the island. We went to LAN’s office at Av. Atamu Tekena and confirmed our ticket. Looked like the flight would delay for at least 2 hours.

We didn’t have to return our car until early afternoon, so we followed Nicole’s recommendation and looked for restaurant called Tataku Vave. It’s at the south part of the town passing port Hanga Piko. We had to drive a section of unpaved very bumpy road. When we got there, the restaurant was still not open for business, but their location is super.

Tataku Vave Restaurant, Easter Island

We drove back to port O’tai and had our last meal on the island at La Taverne du Pecheur. The restaurant has two floors. We sat on the open patio of the second floor, had a nice meal and the last view of the harbor.

The harbor, Hanga Roa O’tai, Easter Island

The harbor, Hanga Roa O’tair, and the town, Easter Island

La Taverne du Pecheur Restaurant, Easter Island

I want to dedicate this section of the blog to dogs and cats on the island. As in other South America countries, Easter Island has many street dogs. Nicole, our hostess, told us, the locals don’t necessarily consider dogs as human’s friend. Sometimes, they don’t treat dogs well. But the dogs we encountered were all mild and a lot of them were very cute.

The dog of Hotel Cabanas Koro Nui, Easter Island

The larger dog of Hotel Cabanas Koro Nui, Easter Island

The cat of Hotel Cabanas Koro Nui, Easter Island

A dog who loves rocks, at the cafe near our lodge, Easter Island

A dog at Orongo, Easter Island

A dog at Restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island

A street dog, Easter Island

A dog at Rano Raraku, Easter Island

A dog at Ahu Tahai, Easter Island

Our flight eventually delayed for 3 hours. The plane took off at 4:20pm. We left this beautiful island and headed to Santiago, Chile.

Overlook Poike from the airplane, Easter Island

2014.3.20Hadn’t got the best picture of sunrise at Ahu Tongariki, I planed to go there again. My wife wanted to go with me this time. Knowing the route already, we left the lodge at 7:30am, later than the previous day. It took us a little more than a half hour to get there. Unfortunately, the sunrise was not as good as yesterday. Cloud at the horizon turned to bright and red for a short period of time then got pale again. We didn’t even see the sun, but we did play around and took many pictures after most other visitors left.

Ahu Tongariki at sunrise, Easter Island

Our plan was to see Rano Raraku in the morning. We already have the ticket. The ticket is only valid to enter Orongo and Rano Raraku once each. At the entrance, the ranger stamped the ticket. The trail splits after a short walk. Most original moais are on the right; to the left was to the crater. We decided to go to the crater first.

The trail runs up gradually and gently. For 5 minutes, the trail makes a right turn. A steeper slope leads to a gap in the western end of the crater wall. Right at the bottom of the slope, it’s a huge prone moai. Climbing up to the slope to enter the crater, the crater center is occupied by a lake, another one of three natural source of fresh water on the island. Unlike the crater lake of Rano Kau, the lake is not covered by the plants. The inner slope is mild and verdant.

Panorama of Rano Raraku’s crater lake, Easter Island

The cloud has been thick. It’s drizzling as we left the crater. I felt the rain was coming so we walked back to the entrance, then the drizzle became a pour. Good we didn’t go to the other side. Sheltering from the rain that the entrance for a while, we decided to go back to town to have the breakfast. We’d not rush on this casual island. The ranger was not in the kiosk at the entrance, only a young man there reading a book. We asked him to put a note on our tickets.

It’s already 1:30pm as we returned to Rano Raraku. It’s still partly cloudy but with a lot of blue sky. The weather on the island varies all the time. The rains often come and go, last no more than 15 minutes.

Rano Raraku is the birthplace of almost all 887 moais that have ever been built by the Rapa Nui. Only half of them were transported to the ahu and ceremonial sites, the rest were either unfinished or abandoned. After centuries of erosion, those who were left behind are now buried by ashes and dirt at the south slope of Rano Raraku. The quarry becomes such a unique place where these deserted giants evokes more ancient feelings than those who stand.

Moais are scattered at both sides of the trail. Some of them stand but are buried to their busts and necks, others are lying or tilting around.

Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, Easter Island

Right after passing a lookout point, we reached maybe the most photographed moais, Hinariru, on the island. They are sometimes called “the moai with the twisted neck”. I’d also call them the moai with contempt face.

The most photographed moais, Hinariru, Rano Raraku, Easter Island

Along the base of the volcano, there are many moais half-buried or failed over. It’s really like a scene of prehistory.

Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, Easter Island

Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, Easter Island

Walking uphill on the trail, we saw several uncompleted moai still in the process of being carved out from the volcanic rocks. Among them, there is one moai that is twice the size of the largest standing moai. It was never finished, probably because its size and weight make transportation impossible with diminished resources. The following are two large moais. By studying them, people learned how these moais were made.

Two large moais carved from the rock, Rano Raraku, Easter Island

Walking down the slope, we saw a moai unlike any other classic one. It is called Tukuturi, in a kneeling position with its hands on the legs. It also has a small beard and buttocks can be clearly seen. More distinctively, it is made by the reddish stone at Puna Pua, the origin of moai’s topknot, and moved here. It’s unusual and more realistic posture indicates that it might be the one of the last moais ever made.

Tukuturi, a moai with beard and in unusal kneeling posture, Rano Raraku, Easter Island

Going further passing Tukuturi, there is a view point. The easternmost volcano of the island, Poike, and Ahu Tongariki are clearly visible.

Overlook Ahu Tongariki from Rano Raraku, Easter Island

We turned back and returned to our car at 2:30pm. We made a brief stop at Ahu Tongariki. There were only a few visitors at day time. Right next to the entrance stands a moai. It’s often called “Traveling Moai”, maybe because it has been toured around the world.

Ahu Tongariki and the “Traveling Moai” in the foreground, Easter Island

Ahu Tongariki, with their topknots in the foreground, Easter Island

We kept on driving along island’s northeastern coast. After passing Poike, just like the southern coast line, there are many deserted ceremonial sites and villages dispersed by the ocean.

Pu O Hiro, used to attract fish by blowing through the holes, eastern coast, Easter Island

Papa Vaka, a premiere site of ancient rock art, Easter Island

Papa Mangai, petroglyphs of a heke (octopus), Papa Vaka, Easter Island

Near Te Pito Kura, the north coast of Easter Island

It’s definitely more than 80°F as we driving toward Anakena beach. As we reached the beach, we felt some rest was much needed. Anakena beach is the only beach that swimming is allowed. Unexpectedly, there is a palm grove by the sea. Under the trees, several temporary huts provide lunches for visitors. Sandwich, fruits and drinks were served, but grilled chicken and fish were the most delicious.

Lunch near Anakena beach, Easter Island

Lunch near Anakena beach, Easter Island

Anakena has two Ahus, a single moai named Ahu-Ature at the right, and Ahu Nao-Nao, several moais, four of them with topknot (pukao), in the central of the ceremonial site. There are several moais lying on the ground. With the white beach stretching all the way to the back of the ahu and surrounding coconut palms as the background, this is a Polynesian-looking paradise.

I climbed to the hill facing the sea to take this picture of Ahu Nao-Nao at Anakena beach, Easter Island

Ahu Nao-Nao with a half-buried moai at Anakena beach, Easter Island

Going directly back from Anakena to Hanga Roa only took us 20 minutes. The road runs through mild hills right across the middle of the island.

Inner island landscape, Easter Island

After having some rest, we went out again to another major site that we had not visited, Puna Pau, where all of pukao came from. Just take the only road leaving the town, drive 2 more minutes after passing the right turnoff that leads to Rano Raraku, and make a left turn at “Puna Pau” sign. It only take a couple of more minutes to get a small parking lot at the bottom of the hill.

Pukao were made by red scoria rock. You can see some of these giant column scattered on the slope of the hill. On the top of the hill, there is a small crater. This is where the quarry is. Every scoria rock is marked by a number. There are about 100 of them found on the island. The hilltop also offers a nice view of Hanga Roa and the surrounding area.

Red scoria, used to carve the pukao (topknots), at Puna Pau, Easter Island

Puna Pau, Easter Island

Returned to Hanga Roa, we stopped at southern side of the down by the sea, near the port Hanga Piko. It’s about 8pm. The sun was low at the horizon and waves moved in. It’s a good surfing place.

Overlook Rano Kau from the west coast of Easter Island

Sea and waves at island’s west coastline, Easter Island

We went to Tahai again to watch the sunset. I thought the previous day’s sunset already couldn’t be better, but I was wrong. It’s glorious.

Ahu Tahai at sunset, Easter Island

We had dinner at La Kaleta restaurant. It’s located at the far end of the harbor of the central of the town. The dinning area is open to the sea. Great view and nice food.

2014.3.19Easter Island’s time zone must be set weirdly. The sun rises at 8:30am and sets at 8:30pm. Even consider it’s daylight saving time, I’ve never seen a sunrise in this late hours.

Get up at 6:30am, I was on my way to Ahu Tongariki to see the sunrise. The road winds along the island the southern coast line. I was all by myself on the road. It’s dark with a little fog. I did at one moment feel lonely and a bit of scary. I didn’t driver very fast. For almost an hour, we first saw a sign of Rano Raraku. Drove another 5 minutes, I saw a score of cars parked at the left of the road. This must be it.

Ahu Tongariki is across the road by the ocean. It’s still dark and I had to use the flashlight to see the ground. There were already 20 to 30 people on the site but they were quiet. Watching these moais closely, their face were still yet to be seen, but their size made a grand presence. I couldn’t help feeling amazed standing in front of these huge statues.

As more people were moving in, the horizon started turning red. The sun rose behind Ahu Tongariki over the sea. Ahu Tongariki contains 15 moais. Each one of them has different size and unique facial expression.

Ahu Tongariki at sunrise, Easter Island

The sky was painted in pink color as the sun rose. Where we stood is the ceremonial site of Ahu Tongariki. It’s a largely flat plain between here and Rano Raraku, the original birth place of all moais. The unique shape of the crater provides a nice backdrop of the surrounding landscape.

Overlook Rano Raraku (quarry) from Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island

360 degree panorama of Ahu Tongariki and Rano Raraku, Easter Island

Unfortunately, the sun didn’t disperse the cloud at the horizon. I was not able to get the signature picture that the sunlight piercing through between statues. As people started leaving after 8:30am, horses moved in. They might be raised by a middle-aged man nearby and later I heard him speaking fluent Japanese with two young girls. The restoration of Ahu Tongariki was originally initiated by a Japan team in 1992.

Horses at Ahu Tongariki in the morning, Easter Island

I returned to my car at 9am. The jeep was surrounded by several horses. One of them seemed to have developed fantasies to the jeep and kept rubbing and pushing against the door.

Near Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island

On my way back, I took a detour to Rano Raraku to check if I could purchase the National Park ticket over there. National Park ticket is required to enter Rano Raraku and Orongo, but is only sold at the airport and Rano Kau. Rano Kau opens at 9am, so you can just come here after watching sunrise at Ahu Tongariki. However, it seems that it’s often cloudy in the morning in this area.

The picture was taken on the road to Rano Raraku, about 1800 feet from the crater, Easter Island

I met my wife at the hotel. We went to have a breakfast at a small cafe next to the hotel by Av. Atamu Tekena. A very friendly dog usually hangs out in the cafe. The cafe serves fresh tea and sandwiches.

A cafe next to the lodge Cabañas Koro Nui by Av. Atamu Tekena, Easter Island

We had a short walk around Hanga Roa’s only main street, Av. Atamu Tekena. There is a market along the street every morning. The street used to be called Av. Policapro Toro, which is after a Chilean Naval officer who took Easter Island under Chile’s territory. Now that name was given to the street by the ocean. The main street was renamed to Av. Atamu Tekena in 1998, after a 19th-century Rapa Nui hero. The indigenous Rapa Nui, 1500 people out of total population of 5000, are seeking island’s independence from Chile in recent years. We saw one slogan painted on the wall advocating “decolonization” near the town.

Hanga Roa’s market, Easter Island

Hanga Roa’s market, Easter Island

Hanga Roa’s market, Easter Island

We went to Rano Kau again at about noon. We purchased the National Park ticket at the ranger station. It’s $60 per person for foreigners.

The crater lake is about 1 mile wide on top of Rano Kau. It’s one of only three natural source of fresh water in the island. Standing by its rim, the view is incredible. The lake is 600 feet below the rim and only 10 feet deep. Its surface is covered by cattail plants, similar to the species in the floating islands of Lake Titicaca, which we unfortunately didn’t get chance to go in our Peru trip. I feel the patchy pattern of the plants, especially viewed from the top, is surreal. The outer cliff of the crater is steep. The sea have already started eroding into the wall. There is a gap or “bite” called Kari Kari on the southern rim. One can overlook the deep blue sea through the gap. The nearest inhabited land is more than 1000 miles away.

Crater lake of Rano Kau, Easter Island

A closer look of the surface of the crater lake, Easter Island

On the narrow part of the western edge of the crater, the Rapa Nui built the ceremonial village, Orongo, comprised by 54 stone houses and many rock arts sites. Orongo is important in that it marks the turning point of the Rapa Nui’s civilization where the old culture and religion of building huge statues was abandoned, maybe because of the degradation of natural resources in the island, and the emerge of the new birdman cult that worships Make-Make god. This transition took place at the end of the 16th century.

Southwest to Orongo out in the sea, there are three islets, called respectively Motu Nui, Motu Iti and the sea stack Motu Kau Kau in the front. Being the largest of three, Motu Nui is an essential location for the birdman cult. Every spring, people from different tribes gathered at Orongo. The summit of the event is the bird man competition. Representatives from each tribe went down the cliffs, swam to Motu Nui and waited there for days to get the first eggs of Sooty tern, then they swam back and climbed up the cliffs and presented the egg to the judges at Orongo. The last competition took place around 1867.

Stunning view of three islets. Motu Nui is the summit of a 2000-meter mountain rising from the sea bed. Easter Island

The trail loop around the village. We spent about an hour at Orongo.

Orongo, Easter Island

Stepped layout of stone houses that take advantage of uneven ground, Orongo, Easter Island

Back to the town, it took us sometime to locate the post office. It’s a small, unnoticeable house by the fire station. We got our passport stamped.

The Post Office of Hanga Roa, Easter Island

We went to the museum at the north end of the town. I had this impression since my childhood, Easter Island is a remote island with a lot of statues built by aliens. The first part is correct, the second part is certainly fantasization. It’s known that all these hundreds of statues were built by the indigenous Rapa Nui between 1200 and 1500. According to the record of first western visitors to the island in 1722, moais were not religious objects, so most scholars believe today they represent the Rapa Nui’s ancestors. What is unknown are exactly why they were built and how they were transported and erected.

What is more interesting to me is that, as an isolated island with human settlement, Easter Island provides a meaningful model to study human society evolution. I can’t help extending the model to the entire human race and its development on the earth. Unfortunately, the outcome is quite pessimistic. Easter Island experienced rapid growth after the initial settlement between 700 to 1100 A.D. (some study indicates that the settlement happened in an even later date.) The population reached 15,000. However, uncontrolled exploitation of the natural resource, partly because of the construction of the huge moai, greatly degraded the environment. Extreme deforestation killed almost every species of trees and land birds, destabilized the already fragile ecosystems. The civil war broke out. Tribes started fighting for the diminishing resources. At the time when the first European came to the island, the population has decreased to 2000 to 3000 within a hundred years.

As the Rapa Nui adapted the new cultures, bird man cult, to deal with their living conditions, the confrontation between old and new civilizations further devastated the island. Disease and slavery brought the native population down to only 100. No one was able to understand the rongorongo script, and oral tradition transferred from one generation to another was disrupted, the island’s cultural knowledge has been lost.

The story is sad, but our trip has to go on. We returned to Restaurant Haka Honu to have our lunch at 3:30pm.

Restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island

We had some rest at the lodge, then went out bought some bottled water, Agua sin gas, at the grocery store. The price is 700 peso, about $1.2 per bottle.

A grocery store in Hanga Roa, Easter Island

Shops in Hanga Roa, Easter Island

It’s about 7pm. One hour and half to the sunset, the golden hour for photographing. We drove to the same road to Ahu Tongariki and made several stops at island’s southern coast. There are several ruins of Ahu or small sites of individual moai along the coast. Scholars believes moais were toppled down during the internal war between tribes, but some researches show that this only happened after the encounter of Europeans.

Overlook Rano Kau from the southern coast of Easter Island

The southern coast in the late afternoon sunlight, Easter Island

A small Ahu at the southern coast of Easter Island

We headed back to Tahai at 8:15pm. Many people sitting on the grass waiting for the sunset. There were good amount of clouds on the horizon to allow the setting sun burned the clouds.

Ko Te Riku (with restored eyes) and Tahai at sunset, Easter Island

Ahu Tahai at sunset, Easter Island

We had the dinner at Au bout du Monde. We found the food to be mediocre.

2014.3.18There is only one flight a week between Papeete and Easter Island. Operated by LAN, the flight leaves Easter Island to Papeete on Monday and returns to Easter Island on early Tuesday morning. When we planed our trip, all the coach seats were gone, so we had to book the business class. A couple of minutes on the plane, the flight attendant started bringing drinks and snacks. After the plane took off, we lay down the seat and soon fell into sleep. We had a long day.

Business Class meal, from Papeete to Easter Island

The flight time from Papeete to Easter Island is about 5 hours. Because there is 5 hours time difference, we landed at 12:30pm. It’s bit of cloudy and breezy, not very hot.

Arriving Easter Island

The airport, Easter Island

We booked our stay at Cabanas Koro Nui. Our hostess, Nicole, and her boyfriend met us at the airport and put flower leis on us. She asked us if we had brought the National Park ticket. There is a both in the airport near the exit selling the ticket. We didn’t know that and we were not allowed to go back in. Nicole told us we could buy the tickets at Rano Kau as well, it’s just more convenient to get them at the airport.

Hanga Roa is the only town in Easter Island. Turning left out of the airport and turning right at the main road, for 10 minutes, we arrived at our hotel. The hotel is also Nicole’s home. She just lives in the room next to the guest house. The guest house is a two-level bungalow that probably has only two rooms. What we got was the smaller room at the first floor. The room is small and clean. It has a bath room and a kitchen. In our whole 3-day stay, we didn’t feel A/C was needed. If it’s hot, we could just open the sliding door. The natural breeze carried by the island soon cooled the room down. The weather was quite comfortable.

The guest house is called bungalow because it sits in a good-sized garden with plenty of trees and flowers. It’s beautiful and quite. The hotel’s location is ideal too. In fact, it’s in the spot center of the town. Walking 30 feet through a low fence door, it’s the main road. Market, cafe, ATM and the beach are all at the walking distance.

Cabañas Koro Nui, Easter Island

Cabañas Koro Nui, Easter Island

Once we settled, I went out to rent a car right away. There are two car rental offices just two minutes walk from where we lived. I rented a Suzuki Jimny, good enough for 2 persons driving on the regular road. The price is about $65 a day.

Because of the time difference, we didn’t feel hungry until 3pm. Nicole pointed us several restaurants. Out of our hotel and turned left, for only 100 feet, we were on the road by the sea. Turned left again and kept on driving another 100 ft, there is a restaurant called Haka Honu. It’s next to a bank branch office and we got some cash from there. The restaurant’s open terrace offers a nice view of the sea and a small port, port O’tai. It’s a popular location for surfing as well. Right outside the restaurant, there is a lovely moai.

There are two ports on the island. The northern one, port O’tai, can be seen from restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island

A moai next to restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island

A rural house near restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island

The atmosphere is casual and relaxing, ideal for a quick lunch, and the food is delicious too, with large portions. We actually came back again the next day.

Restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island

Restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island

Restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island

We went to Rano Kau after the lunch, before the main road ends at the airport, we turned left and drove along the road. At the foot of the hill, there is a ranger station. This is the only place where you can buy the national park ticket besides the both in the airport. The ticket is $60 per person, but the station was just closed at 4:30pm.

Kept on driving, we started climbing the hill. At about a quarter to the top, there is a place where the shoulder is wider so you can park the car by the road. Easter Island is in the triangle shape. Rano Kau is an extinct volcano located at the very southwest corner. From here you can see both the west and south side of the island.

Overlook the southeast side of the island from Rano Kau, Easter Island

Overlook the town and the island’s west coast from Rano Kau, Easter Island

There is a crater lake at top of Rano Kau. The view of the crater lake itself is surreal. I will show more pictures in the next blog. Next to the crater lake is a small museum, which is also the entrance to Orongo. Orongo is part of Rapa Nui National Park. The ticket is required to enter. However, the ranger was taking a nap in the station at the time of our visit. Ticket is more strictly checked at another major attraction of the island, Rano Raraku.

Near Orongo on Rano Kau, Easter Island

The Orongo sign next to the crater lake on Rano Kau, Easter Island

Standing outside of the museum by the rim of northern slope, it’s one of most breathtaking views I’ve ever seen. Easter Island is the most remote inhabited island in the world. Vast, lonely, the nature shows its power right before my eyes; at my back, it’s the mystic history of surviving story of human race. What a feeling!

Panorama view of the island and the sea from Rano Kau, Easter Island

We planned to visit Orongo the next day. Getting off the mountain, we were heading to Ahu Tahai. We saw several moais along the road by the sea, Av. Policapro Toro, not far from the town center. One of them even stands on the iron platform with restored eyes. Not sure if they are authentic or not.

Moais at the roadside near Hanga Roa, Easter Island

Av. Policapro Toro merges back to Av. Atamu Tekena, the main street of Hanga Roa. Keep on driving for 200 feet, there is a hidden dirt road on the left. We parked the car at the road end and walk down to Tahai, one of major restored ceremonial sites of the island. The site can also be accessed from south through the cemetery, or from the north next to the museum.

It’s about 6:30pm local time. Just as we walked down the slope, it suddenly started raining. We tried to sit by a low wall to take it as the shelter from the rain, but it didn’t help much, so we decided run back to our car. Easter Island is not on the path of cyclones but rain always comes and goes. It never lasted for more than 15 minutes during our stay.

Ahu Tahai, Easter Island

We drove north to the road by the museum. We tried to drive further north by the coast but the road soon was blocked by the gate. Vehicles are not allowed from here up to Ahu Tepeu, which seems to be reachable from Ahu Akivi.

It’s a good time to visit Ahu Akivi. There is only one road leaving the town, the one running parallel with the airport. The road is clearly marked. We turn slightly left to Rano Raraku and Anakena direction. For about 5 minutes, the road first splits at the right to Rano Raraku; continue driving for another couple of minutes, the road on the left leads to Puna Pau and Aku Akivi direction. This section of the island is covered by grassland, dotted with several small volcano hills. The road is paved in good condition. For another 10 minutes, we arrived at Ahu Akivi

Ahu Akivi contains seven statues of equal size. Almost all moais on the island are raised along the coast facing inland, Ahu Akivi is unique in that it’s the only major sites away from the coast with moais looking over the sea. The statues were built around the 1500s. According to the legend, these 7 statues are the Rapa Nui’s ancestors who originally located the island and settled here. Ahu Akivi is not as popular as other moai sites. We got almost only ourselves there with the beautiful sunlight rendering the surroundings in golden color.

Ahu Akivi, Easter Island

A closer look at Ahu Akivi, Easter Island

Statues looking over the ocean, Ahu Akivi, Easter Island

Grass fields around Ahu Akivi, Easter Island

We left the site at 8pm and tried explore further to the coast. The road is unpaved with many potholes. We soon gave up. We returned back to Tahai at 8:30pm. It’s the most popular place to watch the sunset, but the cloud was too thick. No sunset to be seen.

We had our dinner at Te Moana. It’s located at the back of the port. The best feature it has is the large open platform facing the ocean. The dishes are with large portion and very delicious too. Recommended!

Restaurant Te Moana, Easter Island

Ceviche, Restaurant Te Moana, Easter Island