Easter Island – second impressions

This place is truly amazing! I don’t think I am staying long enough.

I am staying in a beautiful resort. It is new spa right on the shore and they are doing everything to cater to the tourists, it’s a true gem! The rooms are unbelievable, like something you would see in a magazine. They have a free cocktail and an appetizer each evening at sunset, which is wonderful as the patio is a perfect spot to watch the sunset. Easter Island is one of the most remote and isolated islands on earth and just a dream to be here!

The town is Hanga Roa and is the only town on the island. It is in the southwest part of the island between two extinct volcanoes. There are only 5000 people living on the island and of that only 2000 are considered Rapa Nui, of native descent.

Yesterday I did a full day tour of some of the sites on the island. The final stop being Anakena Beach. Which was not only very beautiful but was very welcome as it was so hot. The water was warm and the waves were large, it was so much fun.

Our tour started with a stop at Vaihu, which was just a short drive up the coast. We were able to see many Moai statues that were toppled over, you could see the red coloured ‘hats’ which are not actually hats but their hair. Most of them were on the ground even if the statues were still standing. The hair was made from different stone and most of them are scattered on the ground around the island.

After that we went to Akahanga, which is a larger site. It has more Moai standing on a larger platform and lots of ruins scattered around. It takes a striking photo with the sea directly behind the Moai.

We went to the volcano Ranao Raraku next. This is on the southern tip of the island and is the most beautiful. We spent a large part of our day here and we stopped for lunch at this time. The Moai that you see in photos are likely from here – I even recognized one of them from the cover of an National Geographic magazine. The outside of the crater is the rock quarry which has an amazing view of the island and is where the locals got the volcanic rock to create the Moai. There are hundreds of Moai scattered around and it was great just to wander. There is also an incomplete Moai that you can see. They would actually carve them while they were still attached to the rock. If you hike up the volcano the crater at the top is a beautiful lake! There were even horses grazing.

Ahu Tongariki was next and one of the most impressive stops we made. It is likely the most photographed site, although I am guessing at that one. It is the site with 15 Moai, where you can clearly see the sea behind them. This site was destroyed in 1960 by a huge tidal wave but was restored. I think I took hundreds of photos here!

We completed our day at Anakena con Ahu Nau Nau. It is in the northeast of the island and is a beautiful beach. It is where most people go to swim but there was also Moai on the beach and caves to explore. It was fun just to walk around but the swimming was great and the relief from the heat was welcome!

Many of the Moai around the island have been toppled but just walking around and witnessing the history and culture was wonderful. There are many surfers on Easter Island. I have loved just sitting on the beach, or at an outdoor cafe and watching them.

It was a busy, exhausting day.