Rock'n'Roll Moai

---

Having had a fantastic time scootering around the previous day and finding we had the archaeological sites to ourselves, we were somewhat apprehensive about clambering into a minibus and joining a group tour. It was, however, included in the price of the holiday deal Raúl had booked, and in addition we felt that we would no doubt benefit from the guide's local knowledge. (This turned out to be true with all the guides we were accompanied by during our trip, whether contracted or impromptu. Some sites aren't always signposted or easy to just stumble across, and there is pretty much little or no written information available at the locations, though for me this only adds to their charm).

The first site, an ahu or platform with fallen moai, was strangely somewhat melancholy: these huge, majestic statues were lying paralysed and abandoned in a desolate landscape thousands of miles from anywhere... Once I turned around, however, and saw the rest of our tour group, plus the other couple of minibuses pulling up, I was quickly jerked out of my wistful reverie.

Visible in one of the photos below are some artefacts in a reddish rock called scoria which was extracted from the Puna Pau crater on the island. These objects, known as pukao, represent a topknot type hairstyle and were originally placed on each statue's head, and even their size alone is pretty impressive.

Equally so was the hairstyle sported by one of the local craft vendors who had set up his itinerant stall at the site within minutes of our minibus' arrival. He humoured us as we eyeballed his wares and practised our two words of Rapa Nui on him. Raúl parted ways with some dollars in exchange for a couple of items and the dude complemented me on my accent. Everyone was happy.

If we had been impressed by the scale of the moai and their topknots at that site, we were about to be astounded at the Rano Raraku quarry. The majority of Rapa Nui's moai were carved in situ from the rock around this volcanic crater and later transported to the various platforms around the island. There are half-buried moai, sunk into the side of the crater as if having paused on their ponderous migration towards their designated ahu when unexpectedly overcome by the passage of time. Other moai are partially carved and remain attached to the rock, lying inert, like some Shelleyan creature awaiting a bolt of lightning.

From the quarry we travelled on to the restored Ahu Tongariki site where a couple of chaps posing for an amusing photograph were bringing the moai count to seventeen. A Frenchman from our group bounded over to join in and Raúl followed suit.

In 1960 an earthquake in Chile provoked a tidal wave which caused the fifteen moai at this site to be propelled inland. However, the island's statues are widely considered to have been toppled in previous centuries as a result of inter-clan warfare. (The moai are supposed to represent the various clans' ancestors, and for this reason they almost always face inland, towards their descendants). Toppling them would have taken a bit of an effort, but not as much as originally moving the huge statues from their 'birthplace', the quarry, to their intended location. It's reported that the largest moai erected was approximately 33 feet high and weighed about 75 tonnes. Various theories on methods of transportation exist, with ropes and wooden rollers suggested as transport devices. Alternatively there are those who believe the statues may have been 'walked' upright by rocking them from side to side.

Our final stop was Anakena beach, a palm-strewn, white sand stretch complete with its own reconstructed ahu featuring seven moai (or bits thereof). Raúl figured the moai weren't going anywhere for the moment and made a beeline for the water, emerging all Daniel Craig-like...

According to legend, a king from the land of Hiva, named Hotu Matua, came ashore on Easter Island at this spot and decided to stay. I would too, if greeted with this paradisiacal panorama on stepping out of my canoe - even without the Bond boyfriend.

---

Photos

Raúl's NBF
The guy on the right wins by a fraction in the Best Hairstyle contest

Fallen moai
With red pukao.

Rano Raraku moai in situ
"It's alive!"