Friday 31/8 toTuesday 4/9 - EASTER ISLAND (Isla de Pasqua, or "Rapa Nui")
Famous for the 887 giant statues, called Moai
One of the most remote inhabited islands on the world, over 2000km from the nearest one.. The population is 5500 people.
Friday, Arrival day:
- flight
- hiking to the Rano Kau volcano crater
- visit to the ruins of the ceremonial village Orongo.
Flight Information.
Mataveri International Airport.
Shops and restaurants along Atamu Tekana, Hanga Roa's main street
(Hanga Roa is the only village of Easter Island).
One of the Empanadas shops (queso-cheese stuffed pastries).
A lot of wind at the top of the Rano Kau volcano cone
(the crater lake is more than 1km in diameter and is perfectly circular).
Details about the crater dimensions:
300m high, 1500m diameter.
Less wind on the other side of the cone, let's demonstrate it.
Each year the islanders held a competition between their 'brave' men.
The honor was to the first bringing a rare egg from the fartest inland, swiming against
the strong stream and through huge waves, and climbing barefoot the cliffs.
Most participants didn't survive.
The competition was an annual ceremony where chiefs of different tribes or their representatives competed to obtain the first egg of the manutara.
This seabird arrived every spring to nest in Motu Nui islet. Near that times, groups coming throughout the island went to Orogo where they carried out various events and prepared themselves for the competition.
Participants went down through the cliffs and swam to Motu Nui, staying there for days or weeks waiting for the arrival of the seabirds until one of the participants found an egg.
The participant returned to the village and was endowed as Tangata-Manu or birdman or the chief he represented received this position.
The new Tangata-Manu was considered sacred, and lived in ceremonial reclusion for one year.
The last ceremony took place around 1867.
Some of these 'Brave Men' at work.
The first Moais, near to the Hostel.
Sunset
Saturday, touring day.
Lunch-picnic assembly at an Empanadas shop
Vinapou site. The platform of the now fallen-down Moais.
Vinapu site. The hat (pukao) of a Moai.
Vanapu site. All of the Moais were pulled down.
Often with broken neck and face down.
Ahu Hanga Te'e, Hanga Te'e site.
The islanders themselves destroyed all of their Moais, pulling them down.
Almost all remain like that: with a broken neck and with their face down.
Most of the re-erected Moais were reconcealed by British and Japanese archeologists.
Ahu "Sin Nombre" on the Hanga Te'e site.
Akahanga, the first site visited by the tour busses,
resulting in souvenir stalls and a lot of people.
Once again all of the Moais destroyed.
Plenty of visitors...
Road sign for the "Moai factory": Rano Raraku.
All Moais of the island were fabricated in that quarry.
The volcano hosting the quarry.
A Moai broken into parts, probably it happened during transportation from
the factory to the destination, then abandoned.
Other during their transportion abandoned Moais, re-erected in modern times.
More of them.
The tallest Moai (21m), still unfinished.
More Moais being transported from the top of the crater.
Tongariki site. Fine restauration work of Japanese archeologists.
