Our first encounter with the stone statues, moai, on Easter Island took place at Ahu Vinapu at the north coast of the island. Typically arranged on a platform called ahu there are several moai in a row that faces the land, looking inwards from the sea. As it often is with iconic landmarks that you have seen many times on (arranged) photographs, reality can be a little disappointing. Our fist thought: This is just a pile of stones! The moai here were laying on their faces, some had even moved away from the ahu. We learned later that all moai have been pushed from their platforms during warfares between the island's clans. The moai cult then stopped and the statues that stand upright today are restored. After a less convincing experience with a guide we rented
... read more
