Dear Friends and Family,
Hello from Easter Island, or Isle de Pascua in Spanish. A former traveler named Pierre Loti said” In the middle of the Great Ocean, in a region where no one ever passes, there is a mysterious and isolated island...planted with tall, monstrous statues.” Today, scientists through modern DNA testing have revealed many of the island’s most hidden secrets. The formation of the island was done by three separate volcanic eruptions from the ocean floor, making the island entirely volcanic but the three volcanos are considered extinct. The Rapa Nui culture is today believed to be linked to the Polynesian culture and that of the Maori in New Zealand. The island that these first settlers came upon was very different from the island  that you see today with something of a Paradise covered with palm trees and edible plants as well as an abundance of seabirds and fish. Man’s arrival changed the island.

Ancestor worship was common throughout Polynesia, with the idea that an important person’s mana, or spiritual power, continued to be effective and able to influence the outcome of events long after their death. On Easter Island, which was named by early explorers because they landed on Easter, when a chief or important member of a tribe died, a statue was commissioned from the quarry at Rano Paraku and transported to his or her village, where it would be erected in such a way as to overlook the village and their descendants. All Moai statues were all set up facing inwards not towards the sea. Throughout the years as the carvers became more experienced, the heads grew larger in size. The largest head is still in the quarry ready for transportation.

All of the statues on Easter Island were at one point thrown from their platforms.  Many were broken, and all have suffered from being exposed to the elements and the island’s harsh climate, having been left discarded on the ground for over 200 years. The Moai were all overthrown by humans, not by any natural disaster.  When the Spanish claimed the island in 1722 they reported all the Moai were standing on their platforms. When Cook visited the island four years later, he reported that some but not all had been toppled. 1838 was the final year in which any outside visitor recorded seeing an upright Moai. The theories as to why the Moai were toppled are that tribal wars, caused principally because of the lack of resources, lead to tribes attacking each other in search of supplies and they also destroyed their enemies Moai by toppling them face down so they no longer had any power. The construction of the Moai was in part one of the causes for reduced resources.  Palm trees were cut down to transport these huge heads to their location on the island. Today there are no longer any native palm trees existing on the island, the ones here have been imported from Tahiti. The Rapa Nui people were taken slaves by Peru in 1862 until finally the island was annexed by Chile. The island was so depleted of supplies that a Scottish/ Chilean sheep farming company took over 70% of the island and for 25 years, the Rapa Nui people were fenced in the main town, Hanga Roa. In 1953 the lease for the sheep farming was revoked and the Navy took over the island. Today, the native culture, the Rapa Nui people, are the only ones who can own land on the island. In 1966 the island became a secret US spying station. At this time, archaeologists also came to the island and many of the Moai heads seen today on their platforms are thanks to the heads being raised, repaired and placed as they would have been centuries ago.  In 1995, the Rapa Nui National Park which makes up over 40% of the island, was declared a UNESCO wWorld Heritage Site, enabling it to draw upon greater financial and conservation resources. In the 1990’s NASA was also given permission to enlarge the airport so that it could be used as a landing for the space shuttles.  It was never used however. The good part about that is that large planes like the wonderful Dreamliner by Boeing, can land here on this small island.

Today, Hanga Roa is the main and only town on the island and the only place that has electricity and running water. It is basically where the 6,000 inhabitants live.

We stayed just outside town on the west side of the island in the Hotel Iorana. Lovely sea views, great pool but average food.

With our rental 4x4 Suzuki, we spent our days exploring the island.  The Moai above are from the quarry where they were carved.  Just down the hill is the largest number of Moai standing on a platform on the island at Tongariki. The bottom right head is called “The Traveling Head” because it went to Japan for a visit because Japan paid for the 15 heads to be raised up on the platform.

All of the heads at one time had carvings on their backs.  Today erosion has wiped them away. Another site had some petroglyphs, one of a shark and a tuna fish. There was also found a round magnetic stone near one of the platforms.

The island has steep cliffs with black volcanic rocks all around and few beaches.  We found two only, one small beach and a larger one at Anakena where there is a platform with some heads as well. Besides the 7 Moai on the platform, there was one very fat looking Moai which was very different. We took time to have an excellent cerviche lunch at the beach.

At Vinapu, the platform was made out of finely carved stones much like the Inca structures. The top knot which was placed on top of the statues was carved in a different quarry on the island where the red volcanic rock was found. Even the Top Knots were huge.

A very important site is the Rano Kau and Orongo.
Rano Kau is the volcano which now has a lake in the middle and once was the fresh water for the island. Reeds that grow in the lake are like Titicaca reeds in Bolivia. Orongo is however the site of the cultural change for the island.  As the Moai stopped being produced, the tribes would have a “Birdman” competition once a year to determine the one ruling tribe. Priests would determine the most fit man to represent their tribe in the competition. The man selected would leave from this extinct volcano by swimming across the lake, over 1/2 mile, and climb down the sheer cliff to the sea.  Then he would paddle on a reed boogie board called a pora, which would keep him afloat and also have a place to store food. The contestant, if he survived the cliff and the sharks, would paddle across the sea to the Motu a distance of at least a couple of miles.  On the Motu, the man would hide until the Sooty Tern would arrive and nest.  The contestant had to steal a Sooty Tern egg, put it on his head, of course make sure it didn’t break and paddle across the sea again to the volcano, scale the cliff and arrive first with an unbroken eggs for that tribe to be deemed the leader of the island. If all this happened, without mishap, the priest of that victorious tribe would live in Orongo for a year and commune with the gods?There is actually a movie called “ Rapa Nui” filmed on the island in 1993. It was produced by Kevin Costner starring  Jason Scott Lee and it includes the Moai bing thrown over and even a birdman competition.  It is quite entertaining and was a real boost for the island’s tourism which is the main income today. Here is a photo of the Motu and a petroglyph of a birdman.

Here are some more remote platforms in Akivi and Tahi with the shell eyes in place. This is also an example of the carvings on the back of the Moai.

Easter Island is not just about heads.  The sea is clear and beautiful and underwater there are pristine coral reef as Susan found out diving around the island.  One dive was on the only Moai submerged which was placed in the water twenty years ago by the owner of the dive shop in honor of his deceased father. You can see corals are already claiming the head.  The ancient heads are believed to be buried under the coral.

There are lots of lava tubes and caves to swim through but also lots of sea urchins to beware of.  The water is crystal clear and warm, a mere 82 degrees F.  It was interesting to feel the wave action at 60-70 feet below the surface, a result of the isolated island.

We found a wonderful restaurant called Te Moana in town which had great seafood, especially cerviche. Plus the restaurant was right on the bay so we could watch all the surfers dodging the rocks. Sunsets were spectacular.

Kari Kari was a local performance we attended and it was excellent. Such energy expended by all that performed.

So you can see, that Easter Island is not just about heads, it is much more, plus a wonderful place to relax.  There is only one road around the island and no traffic. We enjoyed our week here and hope that you have learned as we did about this fantastic place. Put this mysterious island on your travel list, you won’t be sorry.

We are next in Santiago, Chile for a few days, so until then, remember to be good to yourselves.

Enjoy or Iorana,
Susan and Jim