The lush green and fresh air was an incredible change from the dry and dusty environment of the Atacama desert. That, and the change of pace to island life allowed us to recharge after a very busy time in the desert.
Whilst on the island we hired a beaten up old Suzuki and a local guide (now a legal requirement to have a guide to visit any of the sites on the island) and got to see some wonderful Polynesian culture and history. Our tour included:
Akahanga - The kings village, so we got to see what the original houses looked like, and some modern replicas to include organic materials like wood and straw for the roof. They were long and narrow, and you had to crawl through the tiny entrance in the middle of the house to enter. It looked like a giant upside down canoe. What was interesting was that the way they farmed, using Manavai’s to protect plants from the wind and to keep the moisture in, they either dug round holes and lined them with volcanic rock, or built round above ground manavai walls around the plants. It was incredible to see how the people adapted to survive, including chicken coops.
Tongariki - The first Moai, 15 statues in a row,(the famous island statuses) we got to see were at Tongariki, and they were really impressive. These particular statues were most recently knocked down in 1960 by a tsunami, and with the generous donation of a Japanese businessman, they have been replaced to their former glory. We learnt that there was a civil unrest between the clans of the island (the haves and the have-nots, a tale as old as time) and with a defiant revolution the have-nots pushed over all the Moai heads. Over the last century, some of them have been put back up again. When you see the size of them, you realise what a lot of hard work building these would have been. At Tongariki, we got to see the first petrogrlyphs, carvings in stone, of turtles, birdmen and fish. We got to see plenty more at Ahu Akivi. There we saw the 7 Moai, which represent the 7 warriors/scouts that the king sent out to confirm the existence of Rapa Nui, which was seen in the high priest’s dream. They then stayed on the island to prepare for the King to arrive.
Arno Raraku - All the Moai came from one site, Arno Raraku, the volcano supplying rock to carve the Moai. There are plenty of the statues in various forms of completion at this site. Some of them just outlines in the rock, some in the process of being cut out (looks like they are having a nap), and some in pits so that the back side can be access to finish carving them. Our guide explained that each Moai took about year from each family/clan and lots of resources to create. They are huge and we learnt that it is a mystery as to how the statues were actually transported from the volcano to their designated Ahu resting places. There are plenty of theories, all tested, but no evidence of which one it was. One problems is that a lot of history was lost when the “wise and smart” people of the island were taken off the island in the 1860’s by Peruvian slavers. It was those people who knew all oral history which was passed to them by their ancestors.
Puna Pau - The Moai statues come with their iconic red hats. These hats are carved out at a different volcano, one that has lots of iron oxide. And these were easier to transport as they are round and hence could be rolled around.
Vinapu - The placement of the Moai is very important as they represent an important person of the Clan that build it. So the Moai where placed on a specially built platform call a Ahu. This was made of more rock, with the outward facing being very neatly carved and placed together without any cement or glue. It reminded us of the Japanese craftsmanship we saw at some of the castles. At Vinapu, we got to see some of the tallest Ahu. Unfortunately all the Moai statues were still knocked down. All Moai face away from the Ocean and look towards land, supposedly to protect the inhabitants from the elements.
Anakena - On the north side of the island, you can find one of two sandy beaches on the island. It was a perfect place to have a yummy lunch and dip our toes in the Pacific Ocean. In recent years, they discovered a number of Moai statues under the beach sand, which they have put up again. This beach is important to the locals as this is where their king landed, to colonise the island and create Rapa Nui. He brought with him, chickens and various plants like avocados, bananas, sweet potato’s, taro etc, everything that is needed to survive on an island. Just down from the beach there is Te Pito Kura, known for its magnetic rocks that the locals used to balance their boats with.
Ana Te Pahu - As the island has been made out of 3 big volcanoes, and as we have learnt in Pucón, once they erupt lava tubes can be formed. Over time some of the roofs collapsed, providing access to the tubes. Those tube became caves for the local people, and in which they planted their crops. We saw an old avocado tree growing out of one the tubes, along with some other crops in natural manavai’s. It was a great water storage location that gathers water when it rains.
Orongo & Crater - After the civil unrest and the fall of the Moai heads, the social fabric of Rapa Nui, changed. Out of the war, the Birdman was born. Each year, the chiefs of each clan came to the sacred Orongo, where they prepared themselves for the challenge ahead. The village, which normally houses the priests and important people, is on top of the volcano crater rim. The Crater is massive, being over 1km in diameter and filled with fresh water approximately 200m deep. The floating reeds in island clusters make it look almost like a giant Petri dish! In the water we saw locals swimming.
In September the Tangata-Manu (bird-man) competitors would swim across 1400m of shark infested water to the Motu Nui island and waited for the Sooty Tern (Manutara) migration to return. The race then started to find the first egg. The one who finds it becomes the sacred Birdman for the year. Once elected, he has all his hair shaven and goes into self imposed isolation, with only one person looking after him, as nobody else is allowed to even look at him. We learnt a lot from our guide and from the local museum.
Tahai - One evening we got a take out dinner and camped out by the Moai at Tahai and watched the sunset. We got lucky as at the nearby restaurant a local wedding was occurring and we got to see the beautiful bride and groom having photos in front of the Moai, and enjoy a some good music as the same time. A real magical moment.
Another evening we went to a local show (Te Ra’ai) where we got to participate in a ceremony unveiling some very traditional food cooked in an Umu Pae. This is when they create fire in a deep pit and heat up around 30 lava rocks. Once hot, the food, wrapped in banana leaves is put into the pit and covered with soil, to slow cook. We had some delicious tuna, chicken and sweet potato’s from the Umu Pae, which was then complimented by some fantastic side dishes. Overall the food on Rapa Nui was fantastic and a nice change from the relatively bland food of continental Chile. The traditional Rapa Nui dancing and entertainment was excellent and energising in its displays of warrior prowess and softer reverence for women, their beauty and childbearing abilities celebrated.
Whilst on the island, we could not resist going swimming in the pacific. We found a fantastic tidal pool that the girls just loved. Especially with the strong waves coming over the rocks and pushing us around. We think the highlight here for the girls were all the fish swimming their ankles in the pacific tidal pool. They even named many of the fish they encountered.
Sadly, after Easter Island, we come to the end of our Chilean adventure. It is now time to move on to Peru….
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