Easter Island (16 - 22 March 2008)
Jippie! By some form of karma we managed to catch a flight to Easter Island on the same day we arrived in Santiago. The flight form New Zealand to Chile and then to Easter Island caused a major hick-up on our systems. We left New Zealand at 18:00 on the 16th and arrived in Chile at 13:00 on the 16th and then after nine hours we arrived at Easter Island at 20:00. So all and all, the 16th was a 39 hour day!
Easter Island is one of the most isolated places on earth with the nearest island 2000km way and the nearest mainland (Chile) a whopping 3700km away. It is astounding that a remarkable 1000 year old culture developed here. This tiny volcanic island formed when lava from three separate erupting volcanoes joined to form a single triangular landmass. Its maximum length is just 24km and at its widest point the island is only 12km.
Easter Island is known to most for its famous stone statues called Moai. The Moai was built centuries ago by the natives. There are many theories on why these Moai were erected. There are 900 Moai on the Island, some of them standing upright and others pushed over by years of tribal warfare. So our main reason for visiting Easter Island, was to explore one of the worlds great mysteries.
On arrival at Easter Island’s airport, we negotiated for accommodation and then checked into a room at Mihinoa Camping area. We quickly ventured out to the closest mini market and bought some pot noodles and soup - my system was thinking that it was about lunch time and I had to feed the hole…
He next morning we set out to LAN airlines to confirm our departing flights and then we ventured into Hanga Roa, the main town on the island. The realisation that we were on a secluded island quickly set in when we saw what the prices of everyday goods were. At least we worked this into our budget, but it is still pricy when you convert back to Rands. R30 for a bottle of water is just crazy!
We stopped at a local restaurant, and with our limited Spanish, tried to figure out what the menu said. We settled for a sandwich each - I could figure out that it will be bread with cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado and meat. I could not believe my eyes when the food arrived - the portions were massive! Eon and I could easily have shared. At least the left-overs meant that we were sorted for dinner as well.
We took a stroll down the coast to the harbour where we saw our first Moai. We spent the rest of the day just wandering through town, finding our bearings and trying to learn a bit of Spanish.
First thing on the itinerary the next morning was to find new accommodation. The camping ground was not too bad, but it was way to far from everything else. So after about an hour’s walk, we settled for Chez Erika. After settling in, it was off to a famous Moai site called Tahai. This site has some individual Moai and also a platform (ahu) with five standing Moai on top of it. Apparently the Moai was placed on top of the platform, always facing towards the village - this implies that the statues, representing the ancestors, overlooked and protected the village and its people. From Tahai, we popped into the Museum where we really gained some insight into the Island and it many archaeological fascinations. We got some really nice pics of the Moai with the sun setting over the sea.
So after getting a bit of a taste on what the island had to offer, we booked a tour for the following day. The tour guide was supposed to pick us up at 9:30 and he arrived at 9:00 while we were having breakfast. With all the confidence in the word, I told him that he was a bit early and he can help himself to a cup of coffee while we finish our breakfast. He gave me a very unimpressed look and added “It is not 9 o’clock; it is 10:00 already!” I could not believe my ears and I checked and double checked my watch, he must be mistaken because my watch said 9:00. Turns out I had the time wrong by one hour (for the last three days already!) and the poor guy had been waiting for us for half an hour. I apologised profusely and finished my coffee in one quick gulp.
The tour guide, Tomy, was quite forgiving and also turned out to be an insightful chap who gave us in-depth information on the origin of the Moai and the people of Rapa Nui. We first visited Rano Rarako, the ‘factory’ of the Moai. Proof of the first inhabitants dates back to 450 AD. It is not clear when the production of the Moai started, but it ceased in the 17th century when the Europeans arrived. I will not bore you with the detail; rather just have a look at the photos.
The one thing I thought was impressive was “how on earth did these people manage to transport these Moai?” Some of the statues are over 10 meters high and weighs close to 100 tons! From Rano Rarako, we drove to Anakena beach, where we saw some more standing Moai and we had a quick and much needed dip in the ocean. From here it was back to the guesthouse after a very long and exhausting day.
We decided to do our last day of sight seeing on bicycles. “Quiero arquilar es bicyclete para manyana, por favor”, my Spanish is improving (not sure about the spelling of it though!).
We covered about 30 kilometres that day, which included a monstrous uphill to a stunning volcanic crater lake called Rano Kau. Eon walked around the crater and back again (1600 metres in diameter) to take a picture similar to one he saw on a postcard, just to realise that the sun was from the wrong direction. We also saw the only Moai that faces towards the ocean at Ahu Akivi.
I added a bit of excitement to the ride with a spectacular fall with the mountain bike. Luckily, the worst injury was my bruised ego
You’ll enjoy the photo of my face covered in dirt - I literally had to spit the soil from my mouth. Who would have thought that such a small piece of land could be so challenging to cycle on? We were exhausted at the end of the day and our muscles took days to recover. But it was worth every little bit of blood, bruises and sweat.
We were still in awe when we left Easter Island - what an amazing place!
Click on image below to view Easter Island gallery:
I’ll get there one day!