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Easter Island

October 9, 2018

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The smell of the salt water and the roar of the ocean came pouring through the open window. I kept my eyes focused forward, but I could only see about 10 feet in front of me. The old Suzuki Jeep’s headlights might never have been changed, and it probably had already lived a full life somewhere else long before it made it to this island so far from everywhere. The road wound along roughly following the coastline. Between the winding road and the numerous potholes, I was weaving like a Stammtisch regular leaving the Hofbrauhaus on this birthday. In the distance I could make out the horizon just off the coast at the end of the island. The hint of first light was sparkling over the waves creating a luminescent turquoise glow. It was a little before 7am in the morning, and I was heading to the site of Tongariki on the east coast, one of the best places to watch the sunrise on Easter Island.
I arrived yesterday in sunshine, but by the time I made it to my hotel, dropped off my things, rented a car and drove across the island, it had changed to on-and-off rain. Since I’m only here for a few days, I couldn’t afford to waste any time, so I went sightseeing anyway. The rain did not hamper my enthusiasm of seeing these giant stone statues and wondering why and how they came to be.
When I arrived at Tongariki, the sun was just breaking over the horizon. There were probably 150 people there with me to witness the sun rise, but there was very little talking. The clicking of cameras and the roar of the ocean was all that broke the silence. I don’t feel any spiritual connection with the moai, but the experience was inwardly peaceful and somehow comforting. As the sun climbed higher I could see the blue sky overhead and smiled at the prospect of a beautiful, rain-free day on Easter Island.

In the afternoon, I drove to Rano Raraku (the quarry where almost all of the moai were carved). It was a spectacular day with blue skies and a few billowy clouds. There are many statues still in the quarry, in various stages of completion. Enough to give your camera shutter button finger cramps, if you catch it on a pretty day.

The story goes that the carving of Moai stopped when war broke out between the clans. The tools were dropped and the carvers never returned. What caused the war is unknown, but one legend speaks of a queen being insulted because she didn’t get a piece of lobster at a gathering. More likely the battles were over the last of some quickly diminishing resources. When the giant palms were gone, then there was no reason to carve more Moai, since they could no longer be transported to the clan’s ahus.

Seeing the great amount of Moai left there, I wondered if there was a surge of carving being done at the end. A race to get one’s Moai purchased, carved and delivered before the last palm tree was gone.

While sitting and pondering the quarry, the moai brought to my mind grave stones. Not just from their upright, stelae like appearance, but also for what they represent: the high cost the clans were willing to pay to make tribute to their ancestors and to lord their power over their neighbors. And in the end, they stand as graven memorials to a way of life that passed when the resources which sustained were all used up.

For more information about the history of Easter Island, and some interesting facts about it, please read my post “Digging deeper into Easter Island”.

To fill in many of the important details and prepare for your trip, I recommend you purchase the book “A Companion to Easter Island” by James Grant-Peterkin. It will give you about as much information as most tour guides.

Why go?

The moai are interesting to see and are very photogenic.
If you are interested to look deeper, this island hosts a long and involved history in just 1000ish years.
If you are looking to walk the road less traveled, then this is one of them.

What you need to know:

The island is only accessible through LATAM airlines, from Tahiti or Santiago, Chili. The flight from Santiago is about 5 hours.
The statues are called Moai and the platforms that many of them stand on are called Ahu. The moai represent ancestors, who are sometimes buried under the Ahu. The Moai, ahu and surrounding area is considered sacred and is not accessible.
The moai are located on park land. You must purchase a Park Pass to visit them. The pass costs $80 and is valid for 10 days. You can purchase the pass upon arrival at the airport. When you deplane and enter the overhang of the airport, join the queue of people on the left.
Some of the parks have a booth to check your pass and to solicit you to sign a guest book. You can enter the parks multiple times during the validity period (see note below).
NOTE: I was told by the rangers at Oronogo and Rano Raraku that I could only enter each of them once. I explained that I did not know this, and was able to talk my way back into both of them for a repeat visit. The ticket is written almost entirely in Spanish, so I don’t know if it mentions this restriction. If I were to stay on Easter Island for the full 10 day period that the pass is valid, I can’t imagine visiting these two important sites only once.
You will need transportation to get around the island. There are many rental companies in the center of Hanga Roa to meet your needs with everything from jeeps, to motor scooters, ATVs and bicycles.
Food can be expensive. Simple entrées in most restaurants run about 18-22 US dollars.
All of the moai were pushed over by rival clans during their civil wars. The moai you see standing now were erected by archaeologists beginning in 1955.
Since there are a limited number of erect moai to see, you will probably want to see them multiple times, preferable in different light (so your pictures don’t all look the same).
To make the most of your visit, in addition to seeing them during the day, I suggest you visit Tongariki (east coast) at sunrise, and Ahu Tahai (west coast) at sunset.
Weather: The island is very windy and switches from sun to rain frequently. You will want to bring layers of clothing to put on and take off as necessary.
The island is a territory of Chile, and the local currency is Chilean Pesos. However, US Dollars are also accepted freely.
The electrical outlets use the double round pins that much of Europe uses.
Bring earplugs. Hanga Roa is home to many stray dogs who like to bark throughout the night, challenged only by the roosters for who can wake you more frequently.
There are two banks on the island, both in Hanga Roa, about two blocks apart. They both have ATMs.
If you want/need a SIM card, go with Entel. It has greater coverage on the island, although outside of Hanga Roa it is still pretty spotty. I was able to carry on FaceTime conversations, and share viewings of the moai around the town, and in *some* outlying areas. I purchased my SIM from the Santiago airport before flying to the island. It covered my time in Chile as well.

Click on a thumbnail to enlarge it.

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Why go?

What you need to know:

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