Easter Island-Santiago Day 4

Day 4 – Monday, November 26, 2007 – Easter Island: Full Day Tour Visiting Vaihu, Akahanga, Basis of Poike and Volcano-Free Time

We woke up with the sun coming up over the island and the roosters telling us it was time to get going. The temperature was 69 degrees and the humidity was 78% with a pleasant tropical breeze.

We had a nice buffet breakfast and at 9:30 our driver Chico and our guide Patricia came to pick us up for our full day’s adventure. We made a quick stop at a little mini mart and then headed southward to the Rapa Nui National Park.

Our first stop was at Vaihu, a place which is surrounded by enormous statues (moais) which had fallen face down. This was a ceremonial center (ahu) where the elders of the Rapa Nui culture passed down the oral history.

Within the ahu there were burial sites of generations of kings. The moai are actual images of the dead leaders facing into the island to protect the living people. We had to be very respectful of these sacred areas of the national park as this is a World Heritage site.

Patricia gave us an extensive history of the island and the Rapa Nui population. Resources were scarce and instead of coins, there was a bartering system of trade. Of all of the resources fresh water was one of the most cherished.

The ruins of Akahanga were our next stop. These are in their natural condition and this was where the first king of the island was buried. We saw Chilean hawks (caracara) and rock doves as well as many herds of horses.

At noon we climbed the Rano Raraku volcano, situated close to the southern shore of the island and at the Basis of Poike. This is the most spectacular crater in the zone and where the former island-people carved the giant statues from the volcano's quarry.

Here we saw the different stages in the construction of the Moais, the biggest of which still remains at the base of the quarry and is more than 20 meters long and weighs just less than 200 tons.

As we approached the crater we could see a trail of the moai making their way on their journey to the coast. Hundreds of unfinished moai dot the path to the sea.

Before we entered this section of the park we were able to stop for a restroom break and then continued the trek up the steep volcanic crater. Along the path Patricia told us about the process of creating the moai.

There was a guild system so that carvers only carved, transporters only moved the statues, and then the final stone masons used obsidian tools to chisel the final features.

We continued our climb on a very steep and rocky path to the rim of the crater. Now it is a natural reservoir for rain water.

Horses and cows grazed peacefully along the banks of the lake. Reeds grow along the sides and were used to cover the homes and to build the canoes used for fishing.

We made our way back down the crater to the small park center. We had a box lunch served in the picnic area at 2 PM. By 2:45 we were relaxed and refreshed and back on the trail to the ocean.

Our next visit was to the restored Ahu Tongariki, where the biggest selection of moai are located. Here are fifteen moais which had been tipped over and moved inland over a hundred yards by a tidal wave in 1960.

These statues have been restored and righted by a Japanese crane company. There were originally 33 statues here signifying this area of great importance as one of the largest ceremonial plazas.

We continued along to the north shore where the ocean is a rainbow of shades of blue from dark navy to deep turquoise. Patricia showed us a huge boulder which was a traditional stone of power or mana.

The stone contained magnetite and iron ore. When she put a compass on the rock, the needle changed direction.

We ended our tour day at Anakena Beach where we had an hour to swim and enjoy the sea waters which surround the island. The water was cool but refreshing and those of us who chose to go swimming were thankful for the opportunity to swim in the clear waters of the Pacific Ocean at Easter Island.

On our way back to town we stopped at the local supermarket. We had all agreed to meet out on our back deck for a happy hour when we returned. We all bought snacks and beverages to share and had a delightful extended happy hour overlook the Hanga Roa Bay.

Some of our fellow travelers chose to walk into town for dinner, but our appetizers were so plentiful we decided to skip another big meal. We sorted our multitude of photos from the day and then took time to write up the journal of this fantastic day exploring Easter Island.

Accommodation: Hanga Roa Hotel - - - Meals: B, L

Day 13: Azores & Madeira: Portugal's Unspoiled Archipelagos

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Previous Next

Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.

The hotel prepared a box breakfast for us as we had to be in the lobby way before the breakfast room was open.

Last night we found out that our departure flight back to...

Continue Reading Day 13